Health Trusts: North West

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of the use of the market forces factor in determining the budgets of health trusts in the north west; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (AGRA) has commissioned independent research to inform its recommendations on use of the market forces factor from 2008-09. This will consider options for reducing the variation between different organisations within close proximity, and an alternative approach to calculating the staff element using data on NHS costs.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the level of diabetes screening.

Rosie Winterton: The UK National Screening Committee has recommended that screening certain subgroups of the population who are at high risk of Type 2 Diabetes is feasible, but that it should be undertaken as part of an integrated programme to detect and manage cardiovascular risk factors. Officials are currently considering the implications of these recommendations.

Stem Cell Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on Government policy on stem cell research.

Patricia Hewitt: In March 2005, the Government established the UK Stem Cell Initiative (UKSCI) to develop a strategy for stem cell research up to 2015. UKSCI made 11 recommendations. All were accepted by the Government, which allocated an additional£50 million, doubling its total investment, for stem cell research between 2006-08.

Mental Health

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she expects the introduction of supervised community treatment to improve the care of patients with mental health problems.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely impact of supervised community treatment on the care of patients with mental health problems.

Rosie Winterton: We are introducing supervised community treatment (SCT) for those patients who have been detained in hospital under the Mental Health Bill. This is an important change which brings legislation into line with modern service delivery and follows the example of modern practice in other countries around the world.

Carers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to support those with caring responsibilities; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Building on the Carers Strategy we published in 1999, we have announced in 'Our health, our care, our say' a range of measures to support carers.

A and E: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of accident and emergency departments being re-graded in Greater London.

Rosie Winterton: Any changes to the provision of emergency care facilities, including accident and emergency (A and E) departments, are matters for the national health service locally. However, I understand there are likely to be changes to some A and E departments in London as part of reconfiguration proposals to be brought forward, but at present there is no specific number. Any changes to A and E departments will only be made following full consultation with local stakeholders.

Colchester Hospitals

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will visit Colchester to discuss the provision of hospital facilities in the town.

Andy Burnham: The Secretary of State has no immediate plans to visit Colchester General Hospital. However, should the Chair of the Hospital Board wish to invite a Minister to visit it would be given due consideration.

Continuing Care

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what her Department's definition is of continuing care for the purpose of deciding whether patients can continue to receive care from the NHS;
	(2)  what advice her Department gives to  (a) hospital trusts,  (b) primary care trusts and  (c) social services departments on the definition of continuing care.

Ivan Lewis: Continuing care means care provided over an extended period of time to a person aged 18 or over to meet physical or mental health needs which have arisen as the result of disability, accident or illness.
	The Department has run a consultation exercise to produce a new national framework for national health service (NHS) continuing healthcare and NHS funded nursing care. The consultation ran from 19 June 2006 to 22 September 2006 and we are now considering the responses we received to the consultation. The new framework will promote fair and consistent access to NHS funding across England, irrespective of location, diagnosis or personal circumstances. Transitional guidance on continuing care was issued, to both the NHS and local authorities, on 16 October 2006.
	Following the judgement in R (Grogan)  v. Bexley NHS Care Trust, the Department published guidance to help strategic health authorities (SHAs)examine the criteria they use to determine continuing care eligibility, and the Department also published transitional guidance on continuing care, on16 October 2006, to cover the period between the SHA reorganisation and the implementation of the national framework. Both sets of guidance were made available on the Department's website and are accessible to all the organisations mentioned in the question.

Cystic Fibrosis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research her Department has carried out into the relative benefits of  (a) preventative treatment and  (b) treatment once infection has been detected for cystic fibrosis sufferers; what guidance has been issued to hospitals in light of that research; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what level of funding has been allocated to preventative treatment programmes for cystic fibrosis sufferers in  (a) West Sussex and  (b) the South East of England in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 7 December 2006
	We are not aware of any research conducted by the Department into the benefits of preventative treatment for infections in those with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, there is a large body of research and clinical guidance, published in this country and abroad, which supports the effectiveness of preventative treatment programmes to clear airways and teach breathing techniques in the management of this condition.
	Information on expenditure levels for CF preventative treatment programmes is not collected centrally. Funding for these services is provided through practice-based commissioning, primary care trust commissioning or specialised commissioning groups.

Cystic Fibrosis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support her Department gives to preventative treatment programmes for cystic fibrosis sufferers; what input her Department has had on the current consultation at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children in Brighton on the future ofthe preventative treatment programme at that establishment; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 7 December 2006
	We are not aware of any research conducted by the Department into the benefits of preventative treatment for infections in those with cystic fibrosis. However, there is a large body of research and clinical guidance, published in this country and aboard, which supports the effectiveness of preventative treatment programmes to clear airways and teach breathing techniques in the management of this condition.
	The consultation at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton is a local matter.

Departmental Commercial Director

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the move of the Department's commercial director to a private sector appointment is subject to any  (a) Civil Service rules and  (b) contractual obligations aimed at preventing (i) conflicts of interest and (ii) unfair advantage.

Ivan Lewis: All civil servants must obtain Government approval before taking any form of full, part-time or fee-paid employment in the United Kingdom, or overseas in a public or private company or in the service of a foreign government or its agencies. This rule also applies to former civil servants within two years of leaving Crown employment.
	Under the rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by Crown servants, Ken Anderson applied for permission to accept the private sector appointment. The Prime Minister, on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, approved the application subject to the conditions that, for 12 months from his last day of service, he should stand aside from any discussion, if any, of the business of UBS or its clients relating to Government or national health service contracts in the United Kingdom health sector and should not become personally involved in lobbying the Department or the NHS on behalf of UBS or their clients.

Hospital Schemes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State forHealth which hospital schemes with a capital value of £29.7 million or over have been built since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Ivan Lewis: The information is in the following table
	
		
			  Constituency( 1)  Trust  Capital value  (£ million at 2006-07 prices) 
			 Copeland North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 82 
			 Dartford Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 116 
			 Chesham and Amersham Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 55 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich Queen Elizabeth NHS Trust 115 
			 City of Durham County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 75 
			 Halifax Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust 77 
			 Wythenshawe and Sale East University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust 80 
			 Norwich South Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Trust 194 
			 Hereford Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust 77 
			 Chipping Barnet Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 65 
			 Worcester Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 104 
			 Bishop Aukland County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 56 
			 Camberwell and Peckham King's College Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 South Swindon Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust 118 
			 Leeds North East Leeds Mental Health Teaching Hospital NHS Trust 55 
			 Orpington Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 141 
			 Reading West Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust 34 
			 Brentford and Isleworth West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 70 
			 Middlesbrough South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 143 
			 Tooting St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 54 
			 Gloucester Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 35 
			 Dudley North Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 155 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 489 
			 Brent North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 74 
			 Across Many Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership 89 
			 Blackburn East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 117 
			 Coventry North East University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 416 
			 Sheffield Hallam Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 29 
			 Reading East Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust 104 
			 Vauxhall Guys and St. Thomas Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 101 
			 Stoke-on-Trent Central North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust 33 
			 Hexham Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 33 
			 South West Surrey Surrey Primary Care NHS Trust 33 
			 Putney Wandsworth Primary Care NHS Trust 79 
			 Aylesbury Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 49 
			 Wansbeck Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust 33 
			 Burnley East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 32 
			 West Ham Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 59 
			 Ribble Valley Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 44 
			 Wolverhampton North East Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust 61 
			 Regent's Park and Kensington North Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust 38 
			 Hendon Barnet Primary Care NHS Trust 45 
			 Bracknell West London Mental Health NHS Trust 40 
			 Bethnell Green and Bow East London and The City Mental Health NHS Trust 37 
			 Plymouth, Devonport Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 32 
			 Blackpool South Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust 48 
			 Southampton, Test Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 57 
			 (1 )These are the constituencies principally affected by the scheme i.e. those containing a significant element of new build or refurbishment.

Incontinence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what treatments for incontinence are available on the NHS;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the number of incontinent patients in each primary care trust for each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: Treatments ranging, for example, from pelvic floor exercises up to and including surgical interventions such as colposuspension for urinary incontinence are available on the National Health Service.
	We have no estimate of the number of people who have experienced problems with continence or what proportion of those seek professional advice. The Continence Foundation has estimated that one person in three experiences a problem at some point in their life.

Independent Sector Treatment Centres

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local stakeholders are required to be consulted on the need for each elective independent sector treatment centre; and what the timetable is for the update of her Department's analysis and reconfirmation of support by the local strategic health authority before the final business case approval and contract signature of each centre, as referred to in paragraph 66 of the Government Response to the Health Committee's Report on Independent Sector Treatment Centres, Cm 6930.

Ivan Lewis: The Department maintains an ongoing dialogue with relevant stakeholders across the phase two independent sector treatment centre programme. On each of the electives scheme there is engagement with the relevant strategic health authority (SHA). In turn the SHA will ensure the engagement of key stakeholders including local national health service organisations. SHAs are engaged at various times throughout the procurement process, for example, at preferred bidder stage and at the completion of commercial negotiations, to confirm local support and commitment.
	Each scheme has an indicative timetable for reaching the selection of preferred bidder, the close of commercial negotiations, the signature of the contract and the commencement of service delivery. Those dates are necessarily indicative only and are constantly reviewed in light of changing circumstances.

Independent Sector Treatment Centres

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what risk assessment she has carried out of the financial effect on the local health economy of the proposed independent sector treatment centre in Southampton; and if she will place a copy of the assessment in the Library.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the local national health service in Southampton. The financial impact on the local health economy of the proposed independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) has been considered by local primary care trusts as part of their local delivery planning process.
	The provision of non-complex elective services at the Southampton ISTC is an integral component of the Greater Southampton Health Plan which was developed and agreed by all local NHS organisations in South West Hampshire with the involvement of key stakeholders.
	This increased ISTC provision allows, for example, for the renewal and expansion of tertiary and specialist services, including critical care, at the Southampton Universities Hospital NHS Trust in line with the Trust's strategy "2020 Vision".

Infant Deaths

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many infant deaths per 1,000 live births there were in each three-year period since 1978 to 1980 in  (a) England and  (b) among the routine and manual groups used for the purposes of assessing progress towards her Department's target to reduce health inequalities.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many infant deaths per 1,000 live births there were in each three-year period since 1978 to 1980 in (a) England and (b) amongst the routine and manual groups used for the purpose of assessing progress towards the Department's target to reduce health inequalities. (109632)
	(a) Infant mortality rates in England for years since 1978 are routinely published in Table 2.1 of Health Statistics Quarterly which can be accessed using the following link:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ32.pdf
	(b) Infant mortality rates in the routine and manual group are not available prior to 1997. This is because until 2000 infant mortality rates were published by Social Class based on father's occupation. The nearest equivalent Social Class groups prior to 1997 are not comparable see background note 5. In 2001 Social Class was replaced by the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC), and since then infant mortality figures have been published by NS-SEC. It is not possible to use NS-SEC for data prior to 2001 because there is not a one-to-one equivalence with the Social Class classification; an approximation is used, referred to as NS-SEC90 because it is based on the 1990 occupational classification. NS-SEC90 is used specifically to aid interpretation of trends over time in infant mortality and was calculated back to 1997.
	The table below shows infant mortality rates in England and Wales from 1997-1999 to 2003-2005, for the routine and manual group and for all births inside marriage/joint registrations. We provide data for England and Wales as progress on the infant mortality target is assessed using these data as figures for the routine and manual group for England alone are not readily available.
	
		
			  Infant mortality rates( 1)  by National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC)( 2) , England and Wales, 1997-2005 
			   Routine and manual occupations  All( 3) 
			  NS-SEC90   
			 1997-99 6.3 5.6 
			 1998-2000 6.2 5.4 
			 1999-2001 6.2 5.3 
			
			  NS-SEC   
			 1999-2001 6.2 5.3 
			 2000-02 6.0 5.2 
			 2001-03 6.0 5.0 
			 2002-04 5.9 4.9 
			 2003-05 5.7 4.8 
			 (1) Deaths under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births (2) NS-SEC is used for 2001 onwards; NS-SEC90 is used for years 1997-2001 (3) Infants born inside marriage or outside marriage jointly registered by both parents  Source: ONS

Leak Inquiries

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions her Department has conducted a leak inquiry since May 1997; what the subjects of those leak inquiries were; and who authorised each inquiry.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has conducted66 inquiries since May 1997. It has been the practice of successive governments not to comment on the subject or outcome of leak inquiries as there is a continued necessity to safeguard security and investigative arrangements.

Marginal Constituencies

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has held with the Labour Party Chair and Minister without Portfolio on the impact of health service closures on marginal constituencies.

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has held with the Labour Party Chair and Minister without Portfolio on the impact of health service closures on marginal constituencies.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Members tothe reply given on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 382W.

NHS: IT Programme

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will conduct a zero-based review of the NHS IT programme.

Andy Burnham: As recently as June 2006 the National Audit Office published its report and findings of a value for money study of the national programme for information technology (IT) in the national health service. We therefore do not believe a further review of this kind would be helpful at this time.
	The Health Select Committee has indicated that it intends to undertake an inquiry in 2007 into aspects of IT in the NHS. We look forward to co-operating with the Committee in this regard in due course.

Thalidomide

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Chemie Grunenthal on obtaining payment for British victims of thalidomide.

Ivan Lewis: We have not held discussions with Chemie Grunenthal, the original developer of thalidomide. Distillers Biochemicals Limited was the original United Kingdom licensee of the product and the company and its successors have made paymentsto people affected by thalidomide through the Thalidomide Trust, established in 1973.

Parking Regimes

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what budget provision his Department has made for the  (a) hardware and  (b) software needs of local authorities in relation to the introduction of new parking regimes.

Gillian Merron: The Department's draft regulatory impact assessment, as amended following consultation in July this year, makes clear that there may be some up front costs for the transition from decriminalised (DPE) to civil parking enforcement (CPE). These costs include training and IT costs. Under CPE, as with DPE, local authorities will be able to cover the costs of their enforcement activity through income from parking charges and any parking penalty charges. Any deficits in the financial year can be covered from the general fund and repaid in subsequent years.

Public Transport

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money his Department spent on each form of public transport in Essex in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The information is as follows:
	 Buses
	The majority of support for local bus services is provided by local authorities using the Government's Revenue Support Grant (RSG). It is for each authority to decide how much of their RSG allocation to devote to bus support.
	The following table shows payments to Essex county council under the Department's bus grant schemes, introduced in 1998.
	
		
			   Bus( 1 ) (£ million) 
			 1996-97 0 
			 1997-98 0 
			 1998-99 1.46 
			 1999-2000 1.17 
			 2000-01 1.32 
			 2001-02 1.97 
			 2002-03 1.91 
			 2003-04 2.37 
			 2004-05 2.69 
			 2005-06 2.40 
			 (1) The Department's bus grant schemes are Rural Bus Subsidy Grant, Rural and Urban Bus Challenge and Kickstart. 
		
	
	In addition, the Department pays Bus Service Operators Grant to operators of local bus services throughout the country but information on this expenditure is not collected on a county basis.
	Local authorities also receive funding from the Department under the Local Transport Plan system for capital expenditure on local transport, a significant proportion of which spending assists the provision of bus services.
	 Rail
	The Department provides funding both to Network Rail and to train operating companies (TOCs). Such funding in either category that would relate specifically to Essex is not readily distinguishable. The following TOCs currently provide or have historically provided passenger services to destinations in Essex:
	One
	c2c
	WAGN
	Great Eastern
	Anglia
	Information concerning the subsidies paid to/premia payments received from all TOCs is included in the National Rail Trends publication from the Office of Rail Regulation. It should be noted again that this does not, however, separately allocate funding to specific counties within each TOC.

Rail Franchises

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish  (a) the cost benefit analysis and  (b) the appraisal summary table taking account of the five objectives outlined in the New Approach to Appraisal prepared by his Department prior to (i) the award of the Greater Western franchise, (ii) the award of the South Western Trains franchise, (iii) the specification for the new Cross Country franchise and (iv) recent announcements by the Association of Train Operating Companies of fare increases.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport (DfT) addresses the five objectives outlined in the New Approach to Transport Appraisal in preparing the specification included in the invitation to tender (ITT) for franchise replacements. The specification is the basis upon which bids are assessed, and the submission of the successful bidder needs to demonstrate that it represents value for money.
	The business case analysis that supports the development of the franchise specifications is not published, although the rationale behind changes is communicated through stakeholder meetings and stakeholder briefing documents.
	The decision has been taken to maintain the status quo in relation to fares policy with an average increase of RPI+1 per cent. for regulated fares. It is for individual train operators to set regulated fares within the constraints imposed by regulation, while unregulated fares may be set on a commercial basis. DfT does not appraise the decisions that individual train operators make.

Rail Franchises

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the New Approach to Appraisal is routinely applied when his Department specifies and awards rail franchises.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport routinely applies recognised appraisal methods in the specifying and awarding of rail franchises that are consistent with the New Approach to Transport Appraisal.

Railways

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of  (a) the reasons for the change in the numbers of public accidental fatalities on the railways since 2004 and  (b) the projected figures for future years produced by the Office of the Railway Regulator.

Tom Harris: Numbers of fatalities and the causes for 2004 and 2005 are given in the annual reports on rail safety published by the Health and Safety Executive for 2004 and the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for 2005. Copies are in the House Library. The annual report for 2006 will be published by ORR in the spring of 2007.
	ORR does not publish indicative trends for the future.

Railways

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) location,  (b) value and  (c) purchaser of land are of buildings that (i) Network Rail and (ii) Railtrack has sold since May 1997.

Tom Harris: The disposal of Network Rail's land and property is an operational matter for Network Rail, in accordance with the licence condition introduced by the Rail Regulator in November 2001. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Railways

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 10W, on railways, if he will bring forward plans to run 24 hour train services  (a) on lines that serve major cities and  (b) on other lines.

Tom Harris: We do not currently propose to advance such plans.

Stations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the merits of installing stair lifts to give access to  (a) Leominster station and  (b) other stations; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Passenger stair-lifts can provide an alternative means of access to railway platforms for people with reduced mobility unable to manage stairs. They must be staff operated and can only be used when they do not pose a safety risk.
	While such solutions can be appropriate in some public buildings such as libraries, stair-lifts are not generally suitable for a station environment where the flows of people are likely to be significant. They are also open to misuse and vandalism.
	However, the Department may exceptionally grant a dispensation from "Train and Station Services for Disabled Passengers: A Code of Practice" where a station operator can demonstrate that it would be appropriate in the particular circumstances to provide a stair-lift. Some of the factors that would be considered are the flows of passengers and availability of appropriately trained staff to operate the lift. If such a dispensation request is submitted for Leominster station, or any other station, it will be considered on its merits.

Tyne and Wear PTA

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions have taken place between his Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government on the spending against budget of the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority and its concessionary travel schemes.

Gillian Merron: The Department has had a number of discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government concerning the distribution of funding for the statutory minimum concessionary travel scheme and its impact on local authorities, including those in Tyne and Wear. This includes both the additional funding for the recent improvement in the statutory minimum from 1 April 2006 and the new funding earmarked for the new bus concession which will be implemented from April 2008.

Bat Licences

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many churches have applied to his Department for bat licences in the last five years; and how many were successfully granted a licence.

Barry Gardiner: The number of bat licences applied for by churches and issued under Regulation 44(2)(e) of the Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1994 in the last five years is shown in the table as follows.
	
		
			   Number of applications  Number of licences issued 
			 2002 10 10 
			 2003 15 14 
			 2004 8 8 
			 2005 13 13 
			 2006 (1)17 13 
			 (1 )Four applications pending decision.

Bees

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the  (a) familiar sunshiner,  (b) banded mining bee,  (c) eight-spotted wasp-hoverfly,  (d) Rosser's sac spider,  (e) Pashford pot beetle,  (f) Sussex diving beetle,  (g) Brighton wainscot,  (h) bordered gothic, and  (j) orange upperwing are (i) extinct and (ii) extant in the UK.

Barry Gardiner: None of the species listed are considered to be extinct, though they are all thought to be close to it. All 10 are listed as priority Biodiversity Action Plan species and are still under investigation.
	The current known situation of these species is as tabled:
	
		
			  Name  Extant (last record) 
			  (a) familiar sunshiner 1988 
			  (b) banded mining bee 1996 
			  (c) eight-spotted wasp-hoverfly 2003 
			  (d) Rosser's sac spider 2000 
			  (e) Pashford pot beetle 2000 
			  (f) Sussex diving beetle 2002 
			  (g) Brighton wainscot 2001 
			  (h) bordered gothic 2003 
			  (j) orange upperwing 2006

Bovine Cohort Culling

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to implement  (a) the strategic goals of the TSE Road-map and  (b) the goals relating to cohort culling in bovine animals; what recent discussions he has had with European Union counterparts on (i) the strategic goals and (ii) the goals relating to cohort killing in bovine animals; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA participates in regular meetings with the European Commission and other member states through the Commission's Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Working Group, which meets approximately every two months. DEFRA also attends the Commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, which meets approximately every two weeks.
	An amendment to Commission Decision 999/2001, enabling member states to apply for a derogation to allow the culling of cohorts to be deferred until the end of their productive lives, will come into force later this month. However, we would need to consider carefully whether to apply for such a derogation. Any changes to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy control legislation must be carried out on the basis of a thorough risk assessment, based on sound science. It is unlikely that any change could be made before 2008 at the earliest. Meanwhile, we are required to enforce the legislation that is currently in place.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the tests for bovine TB are carried out through the application of gamma interferone vaccine.

Ben Bradshaw: The primary screening test for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle in Great Britain and the ED is the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test, which is commonly known as the tuberculin "skin test".
	On 23 October 2006, the Government introduced a new policy designed to improve the testing of cattle for bTB, by extending the use of the gamma interferon (g-IFN) diagnostic blood test, alongside the skin test, in certain prescribed circumstances. An estimated 45,000 to 50,000 g-IFN tests may be undertaken each year, depending on circumstances arising in the field. As about 4.8 million skin tests are undertaken annually, approximately one per cent. of tests for bTB will be carried out through application of the g-IFN test.

Departmental Energy Efficiency

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage other Government Departments to adopt a policy of switching off computers at night.

Ian Pearson: Departments are committed to meet the sustainable operations targets on energy efficiency and carbon emissions that were announced in 2006. The targets are "outcome focussed"", and in order to meet them Departments are encouraged to put in place the most suitable means to attain them, which would include making sure computers are switched off at night. It is also mandatory for Departments to work with the Carbon Trust to identify energy savings and, when purchasing computer equipment, to do so in line with "Quick Wins" product standards, which specify only energy-efficient computers and monitors.
	As well as routinely running staff awareness programmes, DEFRA are currently investigating the use of a tool to automatically shut down inactive computers at night.
	Departmental performance against central Government estate targets, including carbon emissions and energy efficiency, is scrutinised in annual reports by the Sustainable Development Commission, the independent watchdog. The latest report is available at http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/watchdog.

Energy Using Products Directive

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in  (a) bringing forward regulations under the Eco-Design for Energy Using Products framework directive and  (b) discussions with retailers and manufacturers on the process for removing inefficient lighting products from shelves in advance of the introduction of regulations.

Ian Pearson: The eco design for energy using products (EUP) framework directive requires the European Commission, in consultation with member states, accession countries, industry and other interested parties to bring forward a three-year work plan by July 2007. In the interim, the Commission has committed to bring forward proposals for implementing measures following the priorities in the EU Climate Change Programme. 14 product studies are currently under way, with a further six due to start before June 2007. These studies will provide the basis for decisions as to whether the products should be subject to mandatory implementing measures under the EUP directive. The products currently being studied include televisions, motors, domestic cold appliances, plus a study on standby.
	The Government's Market Transformation Programme is engaged with the project teams carrying out the studies to provide detailed information and advice from the UK's perspective. This will help to make sure the studies are robust and comprehensive. As a result of pressure from the UK and other member states, the Commission has recently agreed to "fast-track" a study on simple set-top boxes, while respecting the terms of the directive.
	The Government's Energy Review, published on11 July 2006, clarified our intention to work with other governments, manufacturers and retailers to phase out the least efficient light bulbs. There are ongoing discussions between the Government and the Lighting Association and retailers about the best way to achieve this.

Environment Agency

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by the Environment Agency to update the 1997 guidance on requirements for authorisation for disposal facilities on land for low and intermediate level radioactive waste.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency, together with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service (Northern Ireland), has embarked on a programme to review the 1997 guidance. The agencies are currently working to prepare draft guidance documents for public consultation in early 2008, so that final versions can be ready later that year. We envisage that two separate documents will be issued, one dealing with deep geological disposal of the more highly radioactive and longer lived wastes and the other with near-surface disposal of the remaining types of radioactive wastes.

Farming: Methane Reductions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to help UK farmers to reduce emissions of methane through  (a) increasing milk yields,  (b) promoting advanced food types and feeding regimes and  (c) aiding research into (i) the use of probiotics and (ii) other proposed solutions.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA announced a £750,000 investment in research on ruminant nutrition regimes to reduce methane and nitrogen emissions in December 2006. This research project will build on our knowledge base and take an integrated approach to the development of ruminant nutrition regimes to deliver reductions in total greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, per animal and per unit of meat and milk output. Approaches for consideration include the modification of forage based diets, alterations to concentrate feed formulation and ingredients, and feed supplements. All options and solutions will belooked at.
	This research builds on a wealth of past work, where MAFF and DEFRA have invested in research to improve the productivity of dairy cattle. The resulting increases in individual cow milk yields can reduce methane emissions per unit of milk produced. The DEFRA research has included for example developing grass varieties that are high in sugar and lead indirectly to a reduction in methane emissions. Complementary private sector research, including research sponsored by DEFRA through our Sustainable Livestock LINK Programme, has raised the efficiency of dairy production.
	The Government are also developing a strategy on anaerobic digestion (AD), a system that can be used to capture and utilise methane emissions from livestock wastes, thereby helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. AD is particularly applicable and effective on dairy units, and provides a potential source of renewable energy and heat.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Ian Pearson: Approximately 40 per cent. of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK stem from actions taken by individuals. We each therefore have a crucial role in tackling climate change.
	DEFRA works through the Climate Change Communications Initiative to raise awareness and understanding of climate change and its impacts. In particular, the initiative aims to provide people with the advice and encouragement they need to think and act in a more sustainable way.
	DEFRA also provides funding of around£27 million a year to the Energy Saving Trust (EST) to support its work in promoting energy efficiency in the household sector. EST's activities aim to raise awareness and provide advice on specific measures designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
	DEFRA has developed a guide to greener living, which is available through the internet. This provides information and practical advice to help members of the public reduce their environmental impact. The guidance is available at:
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/EnvironmentAndGreenerLiving/GreenerLivingAQuickGuide/IntroductionArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10041088&chk=nj1khM
	DEFRA is developing further tools, such as a carbon calculator, to provide people with clear and reliable information about the climate impacts of different actions and choices. We also plan to launch a consultation on a code of best practice for offsetting products, to give people greater confidence that these products are effective.

Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many injuries there were as a result of tornadoes in each year for which figures are available; what costs were incurred due to tornadoes in each year; what assessment he has made of the likely effect of climate change on those numbers in future years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many tornadoes were recorded in each region in each year for which figures are available; and what effect he expects climate change to have on the number in future years;
	(3)  what research has been  (a) conducted and  (b) funded by his Department on the (i) effects and (ii) frequency of (A) tornadoes and (B) other future extreme weather events.

Ian Pearson: The Met Office has records of tornadoes reported by its network of manned observing stations. The only such recorded occurrence of a tornado was at Chivenor, Devon at 09:00 on4 August 1960. This, of course, does not preclude other events that were not detected by the Met Office's stations.
	The tornado over north west London was generated within a fast moving squall line moving east on the morning of 8 December 2006. Data were collected from numerous observational systems as this weather event passed over the UK. However, due to the small scale of the phenomena reported, no single operational synoptic observational system was close enough to measure the tornado directly.
	Tornadoes are too small to be directly considered as part of current climate models. Any effect of climate change must be inferred from larger scale phenomena. To date, there is no clear indication of what effect climate change might have on either the frequency or intensity of tornadoes in the UK.
	Research, funded by Ministry of Defence through the Public Weather Service (PWS), has been conducted at the Met Office in the past to examine the predictability of tornadoes and associated severe thunder storms. There are no current plans to fund further PWS research at the Met Office on the occurrence and predictability of tornadoes.
	Extensive research is also carried out at the Met Office, funded as part of the PWS, into the occurrence and predictability of extreme weather events. The primary output of PWS-funded research is to improve prediction of high impact weather in the UK. However, this research does not address any future changes in the frequency or intensity of such events.
	The main avenue of DEFRA funding for research on future extreme events in the UK is through the Met Office Hadley Centre and UK Climate Impacts Programme. DEFRA has also funded, or is funding, work at the Hadley Centre through the Climate Prediction Programme into future global extremes, including extra-tropical storms, tropical storms, drought, extreme precipitation and heat waves. However, DEFRA has not funded any specific research on the effects and frequency of tornadoes.
	DEFRA does not hold information on either the number of people injured or the costs incurred as a result of tornadoes.

Nuclear Decommissioning Agency

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what basis the decision was made not to undertake a public consultation on his proposals to merge Nirex into the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency.

Ian Pearson: There has been an extensive process of consultation by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management on the future management of radioactive waste, involving the public and stakeholders. Further consultation is planned next year on the site selection process.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) was given the powers for disposal of radioactive waste under the Energy Act 2004 and this followed public consultation and Parliamentary debate. The proposal to augment NDA's capabilities by incorporation of skills and technology from United Kingdom Nirex Ltd. followed careful consideration in the light of views from Nirex, the NDA and others.
	The Government believe that the arrangements set out in the Secretary of State's statement to Parliament on 25 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1519, represent the most positive way forward in ensuring that CoRWM's recommendations are taken forward in a timely and effective way, to the public benefit.

Post Office

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Department of Trade and Industry on the role played in village communities by rural post offices.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 18 December 2006
	The Department has worked closely with the Department of Trade and Industry and other Government Departments, including the devolved Administrations, throughout the development of the Government's proposals for future support of the post office network—which the Secretary of State of the Department of Trade and Industry has since announced on 14 December 2006.

Recycling

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much municipal glass was recycled by each London borough in the last two years for which figures are available; how much was  (a) recycled back into glass bottles or jars and  (b) used as aggregate in each case; how many tonnes of carbon dioxide were (i) saved and (ii) produced in each case; if he will estimate what the net difference would be in carbon dioxide savings if all the glass collected was recycled back into glass bottles or jars; and what steps he is taking to encourage further carbon dioxide savings.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 January 2007
	The tonnage of municipal glass collected for recycling for each waste authority in London is shown in the following table for 2003-4 and 200-6. A complete dataset for 2004-5 is not available due to the piloting of a new data collection system in this year.
	Figures for the four joint waste disposal authorities include the tonnages collected by their constituent waste collection authorities and any glass collected for recycling through civic amenity sites run by the disposal authority. These tonnages, particularly for 2003-04, do not include glass if it is collected as part of a co-mingled kerbside collection scheme.
	
		
			  Authority  Authority Type  2003-4  2005-6 
			 Bexley LB Unitary 2,131 4,238 
			 Tower Hamlets LB Unitary 1,055 1,647 
			 City of London Unitary 91 206 
			 Westminster City Council Unitary 4,791 4,939 
			 Redbridge LB Collection 1,110 1,925 
			 Newham LB Collection 707 304 
			 Havering LB Collection 1,548 1,962 
			 Barking and Dagenham LB Collection 397 528 
			 East London Waste Authority Disposal 3,846 4,719 
			 Waltham Forest LB Collection 1,893 2,663 
			 Islington LB Collection 2,003 2,299 
			 Haringey LB Collection 1,794 2,436 
			 Hackney LB Collection 388 2,926 
			 Enfield LB Collection 1,904 2,363 
			 Camden LB Collection 4,000 4,438 
			 Barnet LB Collection 3,139 4,975 
			 North London Waste Authority Disposal 15,120 22,099 
			 Southwark LB Unitary 1,467 3,476 
			 Lewisham LB Unitary 1,709 3,106 
			 Greenwich LB Unitary 945 1,664 
			 Sutton LB Unitary 2,410 2,679 
			 Merton LB Unitary 1,731 2,937 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Unitary 1,250 1,978 
			 Croydon LB Unitary 3,874 4,147 
			 Bromley LB Unitary 4,847 5,624 
			 Richmond upon Thames LB Collection 4,250 5,168 
			 Hounslow LB Collection 2,964 3,216 
			 Hillingdon LB Collection 1,619 1,798 
			 Harrow LB Collection 1,818 2,278 
			 Ealing LB Collection 3,710 4,293 
			 Brent LB Collection 2,270 2,015 
			 West London Waste Authority Disposal 16,631 18,768 
			 Wandsworth LB Collection 590 3,705

US-EU Biotechnology Dispute

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy was of the UK Government in the negotiations prior to the recent decision of the European Commission not to appeal against the World Trade Organisation's verdict on the US-EU biotechnology dispute.

Ian Pearson: The Government agrees with the European Commission that the World Trade Organisation's verdict does not call into question the current ED regulatory regime on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and will not result in any relaxation of the existing rules. GM products will only be approved for marketing within the EU if they pass a detailed case-by-case risk assessment and are considered safe for human health and the environment.

Waste Disposal

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average performance against best value performance indicator 82  (a) a and  (b) b for household waste recycling and composting performance was of (i) waste collection authorities, (ii) waste disposal authorities and (iii) unitary waste authorities in (A) London and (B) England in 2004-05.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 January 2007
	Average local authority household recycling and composting rates for London and England for each type of authority based on their 2004-05 best value performance indicators are shown in the following table. The average rates are weighted according to population within each local authority area and overall estimates for London and England are based on performance by unitary authorities and waste disposal authorities.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  2004-5  Dry recycling rate (82a)  Green recycling rate (82b)  82a+b 
			  England 14.9 7.9 22.9 
			 WDA 16.0 9.2 25.2 
			 UA 13.0 5.5 18.5 
			 WCA 14.9 5.9 20.8 
			 
			  London 13.8 3.9 17.7 
			 WDA 13.4 4.1 17.5 
			 UA 14.4 3.5 17.9 
			 WCA 13.2 4.3 17.5 
			  Source: Best Value Performance Indicators 20045 
		
	
	Statistics for 2005-06 are also available and can be viewed at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/061215a.htm

Waste Disposal

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent local authorities meeting their landfill allowance trading scheme allocations by moving waste off the municipal balance sheet by selling off their commercial waste portfolios.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 January 2007
	Selling off its commercial waste portfolio will not help a local authority work within its landfill allowance.
	Section 45 (1) (b) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on the local authority to make arrangements for the collection of commercial waste in its area, if requested by the holder of the waste to collect it. Therefore in order to fulfil this duty, the authority must have arrangements in place to deal with waste from commercial sources. Irrespective of whether it provides the service itself or contracts some other body to do the work, the local authority is still in control of the waste.
	Under the landfill allowance trading scheme (LATS) regulations, all waste controlled by the local authority is considered municipal waste and counts towards its allowance.
	DEFRA's guidance on LATS can be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/lats/pdf/lats-municipalwasteguidance.pdf

Winsford: Rural Recovery

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether areas of Winsford are eligible for grants for rural recovery; if he will make available the relevant guidelines on bids for rural recovery; what rural recovery grants have been made in Winsford; and how much has been spent on administration in Warrington in total and as a percentage of grants made.

Barry Gardiner: Cheshire Rural Recovery (now renamed Cheshire Rural Enterprise) was formed in 2003 as a five year, £10 million scheme to assist in delivering improvements to Cheshire's rural economy. The scheme manages a number of projects such as the Rural Small Building Scheme, which aims to refurbish under-used rural buildings, and Saddle Up which supports the equestrian sector. The exact criteria for the different areas of support can vary depending on the grant The Guidelines for applicants are available on the Cheshire Rural Enterprise website at:
	http://www.cwhrural.info/.
	The scheme has now committed virtually all of its resources. To date, two projects have been supported in Winsford, mainly though their impact on the wider rural area:
	(i) As part of the Rural Business Development programme managed through Business Link, TCR Irrigation were supported to purchase specialist equipment. A £15,300 grant was offered of a £51,000 total project cost.
	(ii) Support has been provided to develop a new radio station to be based in Winsford but covering a large area of rural Cheshire. A £18,980 grant was offered of a £71,470 total project cost.
	As a rule, the urban areas of Winsford are not eligible for rural recovery grant support as the town has not been classed as a Market Town. The surrounding rural hinterland of the town would be eligible.
	The administration costs for Cheshire Rural Enterprise are not managed at a borough council level but are administered for the scheme as a whole. The administration costs for the whole scheme are set at6.5 per cent. of the total approved.

Digital Switchover

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of households that will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland; what steps she is taking to ensure that those households which qualify for assistance will receive it; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Details for each parliamentary constituency in Scotland are in the following table.
	The Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Bill was introduced on the 16 November. The Bill would enable the scheme to receive social security information in order to target those eligible for assistance and so help increase take up amongst those eligible. There will also be extensive communications to raise awareness of the assistance available from the help scheme.
	We are working closely with the Digital Switchover Consumer Experts Group to explore how best to communicate with eligible groups.
	Age Concern, Help the Aged, the National Consumer Council, RNIB and RNID attend these meetings.
	
		
			  Constituency  Households (defined as eligible benefit units) 
			 Aberdeen North 12,000 
			 Aberdeen South 9,000 
			 Airdrie and Shotts 11,000 
			 Angus 11,000 
			 Argyll and Bute 11,000 
			 Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock 13,000 
			 Banff and Buchan 11,000 
			 Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 11,000 
			 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 8,000 
			 Central Ayrshire 11,000 
			 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 12,000 
			 Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East 10,000 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 12,000 
			 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 11,000 
			 Dundee East 11,000 
			 Dundee West 12,000 
			 Dunfermline and West Fife 10,000 
			 East Dunbartonshire 9,000 
			 East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow 12,000 
			 East Lothian 12,000 
			 East Renfrewshire 10,000 
			 Edinburgh East 10,000 
			 Edinburgh North and Leith 9,000 
			 Edinburgh South 10,000 
			 Edinburgh South West 10,000 
			 Edinburgh West 10,000 
			 Falkirk 13,000 
			 Glasgow Central 10,000 
			 Glasgow East 16,000 
			 Glasgow North 9,000 
			 Glasgow North East 14,000 
			 Glasgow North West 13,000 
			 Glasgow South 12,000 
			 Glasgow South West 13,000 
			 Glenrothes 12,000 
			 Gordon 9,000 
			 Inverclyde 12,000 
			 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 11,000 
			 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 13,000 
			 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 13,000 
			 Lanark and Hamilton East 13,000 
			 Linlithgow and East Falkirk 13,000 
			 Livingston 10,000 
			 Midlothian 10,000 
			 Moray 10,000 
			 Motherwell and Wishaw 13,000 
			 Na h-Eileanan an lar 4,000 
			 North Ayrshire and Arran 13,000 
			 North East Fife 9,000 
			 Ochil and South Perthshire 11,000 
			 Orkney and Shetland 4,000 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire North 12,000 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire South 12,000 
			 Perth and North Perthshire 12,000 
			 Ross, Skye and Lochaber 7,000 
			 Rutherglen and Hamilton West 15,000 
			 Stirling 11,000 
			 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 8,000 
			 West Dunbartonshire 14,000 
			  Notes: 1. Rounded to the nearest thousand.  2. Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth.  3. The definition of a benefit unit is a couple and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the Help Scheme in their own right.

Royal Events

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government plans to link the celebrations for HM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 with the London Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is not currently involved in preparations to commemorate HM the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and currently there are no plans to link any possible celebrations with the London Olympics. Any announcement of plans will be made closer to the time.

£5 Notes

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many £5 notes there are in circulation; how many were taken out of circulation in each of the last five years; and how many new notes were produced in each year.

Edward Balls: The Bank of England's data are reproduced in the following table.
	For completeness, the table also includes figures for new £5 notes issued in each year. There is no direct relationship between the value of notes produced by the Bank in any year and the number of notes put into circulation. The Bank's policy is to meet retail banks' demand for new notes. This demand determines the value of notes issued (ie new notes put into circulation by the retail banks) each year. In addition to producing notes to meet demand, the Bank may also vary production to alter the level of its contingency stocks.
	
		
			  All data is value of notes in £ millions 
			  Year ending February  £5s in circulation  £5s produced  New £5s issued  £5s destroyed 
			 2002 1,044 543 1,258 1,118 
			 2003 1,051 1,510 1,083 877 
			 2004 1,025 897 1,545 585 
			 2005 1,055 970 534 768 
			 2006 1,052 550 314 485 
		
	
	The figures for the years ending February 2003 and February 2004 include changes due to the replacement of the old £5 note with a new design and are not therefore directly comparable with data for the other years.

1997 Budget

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequerif he will produce an updated version of the graphS1.8 from the Budget 1997 and provide the background figures; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: I am not aware of the graph the hon. Member refers to. If he would provide further information, I will look into the matter.

Aviation Industry

John Randall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the aviation industry of paying the full cost of the contribution of emissions from aviation to climate change identified in the Stern Review.

John Healey: The Government welcome the findings of the independent Stern Review on the "Economics of Climate Change" and continues to develop measures to tackle climate change.
	As the Stern Review identified, climate change is an international issue and that is why the Government are committed to the inclusion of aviation within the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
	A joint March 2003 Department for Transport and HM Treasury report "Aviation and the Environment: Using Economic Instruments" Provided estimates of monetary values of external costs relating to climate change, local air quality and noise. The cost of carbon emissions associated with UK passenger aircraft was estimated in the report at £1.4 billion in 2000, rising to over £4 billion in 2030 (using an illustrative value for the cost of carbon of £70 per tonne, rising by £1 per year in real terms).

Child Trust Funds

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have opened child trust funds in each year since their inception; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The latest set of child trust fund account opening statistics was published by HM Revenue and Customs on 4 January 2007 at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm
	These show that in 2005-06, the first complete year of operation for the child trust fund scheme, 76 per cent. of parents used their voucher within 12 months to open an account for their child.
	They also show that almost 2.5 million child trust fund accounts have now been opened, and over1.95 million accounts have been opened by parents.

Economic Activity

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are economically  (a) active and  (b) inactive in the UK.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic activity and inactivity. (112870)
	The attached table gives economically active and inactive levels and rates for the three-month period ending October 2006. These data are published each month in the Labour Market Statistics First Release.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Economically active and inactive people of working age( 1 ) United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			  Three months ending October 2006  Levels (000)  Rates( 2)  (per cent.) 
			 Economically active(3) 30,700 79.0 
			 Economically inactive 7,835 21.0 
			 (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (2 )As a percentage of all persons of working age. (3 )Level figure relates to those aged 16 and over.  Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Military Commitments: Contingency Reserve

Liam Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the size was of the contingency reserve in each of the last 10 years; and how much of the contingency reserve was used to meet military commitments in each year.

Stephen Timms: Details on the DEL Reserves, are set out in the Budget and Pre-Budget Report each year. The net additional costs of military operations are met from the Reserves, and outturn figures are given in the Ministry of Defence's audited accounts each year.

Pensions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish a consultation document on the future of Pension Term Assurance;
	(2)  what the original estimate was of the tax cost of introducing tax relief for Pension Term Assurance;
	(3)  what information became available since A-Day about the take-up of pension term assurances which led to the announcement made in the Pre-Budget Report to suspend tax reliefs for these policies;
	(4)  how many Pension Term Assurance policies have been sold since A-Day;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the cost of tax relief for Pension Term Assurance in 2006-07.

Edward Balls: The new tax regime for registered pension schemes included additional flexibilities to make it easier for pension providers to offer lump sum death benefits as part of an individual's overall personal pension arrangements.
	By saving in any tax-privileged pension vehicle, individuals are committing to using the resulting fund for the purpose of providing an income in retirement. As part of the Pre-Budget Report, the Government announced their intention to work with the pensions industry to explore, in time for the Budget, the best way to apply this principle to term assurance contracts sold as pension products.
	There has been a large growth in sales of "pension term assurance" since the inception of the new pensions tax regime. According to the new business statistics collated by the Association of British Insurers, 17,090 term assurance policies were sold as pension products in the quarter ended 30 June 2006 and another 44,580 policies were sold in the quarter ended 30 September 2006.
	The announcement at Pre-Budget Report ensures that the cost of the new simplified pensions tax regime remains in line with the estimates previously set out in the published Regulatory Impact Assessments for simplifying the taxation of pensions. These are available on the HMRC website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/ria-pensions-simplification.pdf

Population Statistics: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) births and  (b) deaths there were in Tamworth constituency in each year since 1996.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) births and (b) deaths there were in Tamworth constituency in each year since 1996. (112830)
	The table below provides the number of (a) births and (b) deaths in Tamworth parliamentary constituency for the years 1996 to 2005 (the latest available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Births( 1)  and deaths( 2)  in Tamworth parliamentary constituency( 3) , 1996 to 2005 
			  Number 
			   Births  Deaths 
			 1996 1,182 754 
			 1997 1,182 732 
			 1998 1,192 797 
			 1999 1,127 771 
			 2000 1,093 807 
			 2001 1,091 866 
			 2002 986 836 
			 2003 1,151 790 
			 2004 1,126 775 
			 2005 1,063 753 
			 (1) Births occurring in each year. (2) Deaths registered in each year. (3) Using boundaries as of 2005 for all years shown.

Powered Mobility Products: Insurance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to grant retailers of powered mobility products covered under the industry code of practice the right to sell insurance without requiring Financial Services Authority accreditation.

Edward Balls: holding answer 8 January 2007
	The Financial Services Authority (FSA) assumed responsibility for the regulation of general insurance on 14 January 2005. The introduction of the FSA's regime served to implement the EU's Insurance Mediation Directive (IMD) 2002/92/EC in the UK.
	The IMD requires the UK to regulate various insurance mediation activities in connection with contracts of insurance, including long-term insurance business, commercial insurance and reinsurance. The activities required to be regulated include sellingand administering such insurance contracts by intermediaries. The IMD does not apply where a number of specified conditions are met, however the selling of insurance along with powered mobility products is not capable of meeting all of these conditions. In general, those undertaking insurance mediation must either be authorised to do so by the FSA, be an appointed representative of an authorised firm or be a member of a designated professional body that allows the firm to be exempt from authorisation.

Small Breweries Relief Scheme

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will calculate the average number of employees of those businesses in receipt of the full50 per cent. relief under the small breweries relief scheme.

John Healey: While the Government gathers data on the performance of the brewing industry, including the performance of small breweries, employment data is not routinely collected. However, figures from the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) show that around 130 new breweries have opened since the introduction of small breweries relief, and that these have brought with them over 1,000 new jobs, many in economically deprived rural communities.

Winter Deaths

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths there were in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested fall within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many winter deaths there were in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years. (112888)
	Estimates of excess winter deaths relate to a four-month period from December of one year to March of the next year. The table below provides the number of excess winter deaths in Stroud parliamentary constituency for the years 1995/96 to 2004/05 (the latest available).
	
		
			  Table 1: excess winter deaths( 1,2)  in Stroud parliamentary constituency( 3) ,1995-96 to 2004-05 
			  Number 
			  Winter  Excess deaths 
			 1995-96 110 
			 1996-97 80 
			 1997-98 70 
			 1998-99 130 
			 1999-2000 100 
			 2000-01 70 
			 2001-02 60 
			 2002-03 80 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 40 
			 (1) The estimated number of excess winter deaths is the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Data are based on deaths occurring in each month. (3) Using boundaries as of 2005 for all years shown.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what stage has been reached in proposed constitutional reform in each of the British Overseas Territories.

Geoff Hoon: The present situation in the constitutional review process in each of the Overseas Territories is as follows:
	 Anguilla
	A Constitutional and Electoral Reform Commission was appointed in early 2006. It formally presented draft recommendations in August 2006. It is for the Government of Anguilla to decide on the next stage in the process.
	 British Virgin Islands
	Three rounds of talks were held in 2006 and a proposed final round is planned for February 2007 in London.
	 Cayman Islands
	Exploratory talks were held in the Cayman Islands in March 2006. We are expecting to resume talks following the completion of the public consultations which we understand are planned by the Cayman Islands Government for early 2007.
	 Falkland Islands
	The Falkland Islands Government have established a Select Committee on Constitutional Reform. The committee has published two reports—in October 2005 and, following the election of a new council, in August 2006—and the issues have now gone to public consultation within the islands. We await a formal approach from Falkland Islands Councillors, once their proposals have been finalised.
	 Gibraltar
	The constitutional review process with Gibraltar, which started in December 2003, has concluded successfully. Gibraltar's new constitution came into force on 2 January 2007.
	 Montserrat
	Formal talks were held in Montserrat in September 2005, March 2006 and October 2006. It is likely that a further round of talks will be held in spring 2007, before a proposed final round in London thereafter.
	 St. Helena and Dependencies
	In a consultative poll in May 2005, St. Helenians rejecteda draft constitution negotiated between representatives ofSt. Helena and the Government, which would have provided for ministerial government for the territory, among other things.
	 Turks and Caicos Islands
	The constitutional review process with the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) concluded successfully in October 2005. TCFs new constitution came into force on 9 August 2006.
	There are currently no proposed constitutional reviews for Bermuda; British Antarctic Territory; British Indian Ocean Territory; Pitcairn Islands; and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.

Legal Advice

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by the Department on external legal advice in each of the past five years.

Margaret Beckett: The amount spent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on external legal advice from counsel and solicitors in private practice by way of disbursements via the HM Treasury Solicitor in each of the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2001-02 124,641.66 
			 2002-03 697,878.22 
			 2003-04 204,366.75 
			 2004-05 331,731.68 
			 2005-06 328,378.29 
		
	
	The FCO does not hold information on aggregate amounts spent on any other external legal advice.

Nigeria

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Nigerian Government on the continuing destruction of churches in Jigawa State.

Ian McCartney: We are concerned by all reportsof inter-religious conflict in Nigeria. Unfortunately, clashes between religious groups are not uncommon. The primary underlying cause of the conflict in northern Nigeria is rivalry between ethnic groups over the control of resources and power.
	Our High Commission in Abuja is aware of a local dispute in Dutse in Jigawa state, which occurred on19 and 20 September 2006, during which a small number of people were injured and churches were burnt down. The police quickly took control and imposed a curfew. There have been no further outbreaks of violence in the area and this appears to be an isolated situation, which boiled over. Our High Commission in Abuja regularly raises incidents of religious conflict with the Nigerian authorities but no representations have been made about this specific incident.
	My noble Friend Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, recently met with representatives of Christian and Muslim communities at an interfaith seminar in Kaduna to see the work they are undertaking to build bridges to better interfaith understanding. We continue to urge restraint and reconciliation on all sides and stress that intervention must be carried out with full respect for human rights.
	Supporting measures to address religious conflict is also a key part of our conflict prevention strategy for Nigeria. We are funding projects to build trust between Nigeria's various religious communities. This includes support to the excellent work of Coventry Cathedral on building trust and understanding at grass-roots level between different religious and ethnic communities, which has contributed to a drop in the level of violence and an increased level of dialogue between Christians and Muslims. We are also funding the work of the Bridge Builders Foundation, a mixed Christian and Muslim organisation operating in northern Nigeria, to look into the causes of recent conflict between Christians and Muslims. They are in the process of setting up early warning mechanisms in all the northern States to prevent future conflict.

North Korea

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of claims of senior North Korean officials that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a nuclear state.

Ian McCartney: Under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a nuclear weapon state is defined as a state which manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device prior to 1 January 1967. Nuclear weapon states are defined under Article IX.3 of the NPT; these are the UK, US, France, China and Russia. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) already possesses nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and a civil nuclear power generating programme. And on 14 October 2006, following a partially successful nuclear test, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1718 urging the DPRK to cease immediately all further nuclear testing, observe a moratorium on nuclear and missile testing and rejoin the NPT.

Royal Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which places the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will visit during the year of their Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2007.

Margaret Beckett: As announced in Her Majesty the Queen's Speech on 15 November 2006,  Official Report, column 4, Her Majesty, accompanied by His Royal Highness (HRH) the Duke of Edinburgh will pay a state visit to the United States of America in May 2007, to celebrate the 400th( )anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. Her Majesty and HRH will also visit Uganda in November 2007 where the Queen will open the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala. Buckingham Palace announced on 19 December 2006 that Her Majesty would visit the Netherlands in February 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam.

Travel Bans

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department has received from those subject to travel bans, broken down by country; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of such bans.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not maintain a consolidated list of all representations from those subject to travel bans.
	Travel bans can serve important purposes, egto demonstrate the international community's condemnation of a government's policies with respect to human rights, good governance, or democracy. They are also an important tool in the international community's efforts to restrict the ability of terrorists to operate. The Government therefore believe they can be an effective tool.

Union Flag

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Union Flag will be flown above all Government buildings in all Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies on HM the Queen's Official Birthday on 17 June 2007 from 8 am until sunset.

Geoff Hoon: Her Majesty the Queen's Official Birthday is on 16 June this year. The Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies are constitutionally not part of the United Kingdom and all of them, except Ascension, have their own flag. Anguilla, Ascension, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St. Helena and Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Mann and Jersey) have indicated that they intend to fly the Union flag above all or some government buildings on the Official Birthday. The remaining OTs will fly their own flag. Pitcairn Islands has no government buildings.

British Household Panel Survey

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what proportion of  (a) working age adults and  (b) pensioners were recorded by the British Household Panel Survey as (i) unemployed, (ii) living in a workless household, (iii) having no educational qualifications , (iv) living in social housing, (v) living in overcrowded conditions, (vi) suffering poor mental health, (vii) suffering poor health, (viii) living alone, (ix) lacking consumer durables and (x) enduring financial stress in each year since 1991.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is as follows:
	 (i) Unemployment
	Figures from the British Household Panel Survey indicate that the proportion of working age adults in unemployment fell continuously between 1991 and 2001 (see following table), from 7.19 per cent. to2.98 per cent. It increased to 3.78 per cent. in 2003. Grossing these proportions up to population estimates suggests that the numbers of unemployed among the working age population have fallen from 2.48 million in 1991 to 1.05 million in 2001, which has since increased to 1.35 million in 2003. (Note that the concept of unemployment is relatively meaningless for pensioners, and therefore we have not shown this.)
	
		
			  Working age population 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 7.19 2.48 
			 1993 6.68 2.31 
			 1995 5.15 1.80 
			 1997 4.17 1.45 
			 2001 2.98 1.05 
			 2003 3.78 1.35 
		
	
	 (ii) Living in a workless household
	The proportion of the working age population who live in a workless household increased from 12.55 per cent. in 1991 to 13.69 per cent. in 1993 (see following table). Since then however, it has fallen continuously, to 9.68 per cent. in 2003. Grossing these to population estimates suggests that the number of working age adults in Britain who live in a workless household has fallen by approximately 1.3 million, from 4.74 million in 1993 to 3.47 million in 2003. Almost all pensioners live in a workless household (by definition), and so we have excluded this from the pensioner analysis.)
	
		
			  Working age population 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 12.55 4.33 
			 1993 13.69 4.74 
			 1995 12.60 4.40 
			 1997 11.62 4.03 
			 2001 10.71 3.79 
			 2003 9.68 3.47 
		
	
	 (iii) No qualifications
	The British Household Panel Survey suggests that the proportion of working age adults with no qualifications has fallen from 24.37 per cent. in 1991 to 11.39 per cent. in 2003.
	However, part of this fall is a cohort affect, caused by ever increasing numbers of younger individuals attaining higher qualification levels, while older workers (a large proportion of which have no qualifications) retire. These figures suggest that4.1 million working age adults in Britain have no qualifications in 2003, compared with 8.4 million in 1991.
	There has also been a continuous fall in the proportion of pensioners with no qualifications, from 64.38 per cent. in 1991 to 49.18 per cent. in 2003. Again, some of this is a cohort affect, with older pensioners with no qualifications being replaced by younger pensioners with higher qualification attainment. In terms of numbers, this suggests that about 1.5 million fewer pensioners had no qualifications in 2003 than in 1991 (5.26 million compared with 6.70 million).
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 24.37 8.41 64.38 6.70 
			 1993 20.78 7.19 61.56 6.40 
			 1995 18.42 6.43 60.23 6.26 
			 1997 16.50 5.73 58.46 6.14 
			 2001 12.47 4.41 53.04 5.62 
			 2003 11.39 4.08 49.18 5.26 
		
	
	 (iv) Living in Social housing
	The proportion of working age adults living in social housing has fallen continuously over the period, from 17.53 per cent. in 1991 to 14.01 per cent. in 2003. In terms of population estimates, this suggests that one million fewer working age individuals live in social housing in 2003 than in 1991 (5.02 million in 2003 compared with 6.05 million in 1991).
	Among pensioners, the proportion has also fallen from 35.03 per cent. in 1991 to 22.36 per cent. in 2003. This suggests that about 1.2 million fewer pensioners lived in social housing in 2003 than in 1991 (2.4 million in 2003 compared with 3.64 million in 1991).
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 17.53 6.05 35.03 3.64 
			 1993 16.89 5.84 31.90 3.32 
			 1995 16.23 5.66 31.49 3.27 
			 1997 15.98 5.55 28.47 2.99 
			 2001 15.11 5.35 25.24 2.68 
			 2003 14.01 5.02 22.36 2.39 
		
	
	 (v) Living in overcrowded conditions
	Living conditions (in terms of overcrowding) has improved among working age adults. In 1991, 8.5 per cent. of the working age population lived in overcrowded conditions (defined as living in accommodation in which there are more people than rooms). By 2003, this had fallen to 5.91 per cent.In terms of numbers, these estimates suggest that2.12 million working age individuals lived in overcrowded conditions in 2003, compared with2.93 million in 1991.
	Very few pensioners (less than 1 per cent.) lived in overcrowded conditions, translating into fewer than 100,000 individuals.
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 8.50 2.93 0.87 0.09 
			 1993 7.92 2.74 0.10 0.01 
			 1995 7.60 2.65 0.24 0.02 
			 1997 6.84 2.37 0.47 0.05 
			 2001 5.96 2.11 0.46 0.05 
			 2003 5.91 2.12 0.46 0.05 
		
	
	 (vi) Suffering poor mental health
	The proportion of working age individuals suffering from poor mental health (defined as having a General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score of 14 or more on the 36-point likert scale) has increased over the period, from 20.8 per cent. in 1991 to 23 per cent. in 2003. This translates into an increase of approximately one million individuals, from 7.2 million in 1991 to8.2 million in 2003.
	There has also been an increase in the proportionof pensioners suffering from poor mental health from 20.8 per cent. in 1991 to 23.1 per cent. in 2003. This corresponds to an increase of about 0.4 million pension age individuals in poor mental health.
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 20.80 7.18 20.84 2.17 
			 1993 23.38 8.09 23.23 2.42 
			 1995 24.96 8.71 23.05 2.40 
			 1997 23.74 8.24 22.72 2.38 
			 2001 24.33 8.61 24.06 2.55 
			 2003 22.96 8.22 23.10 2.47 
		
	
	 (vii) Suffering poor health
	There was also an increase between 1991 and 2001 in the proportion of working age individuals reporting poor physical health, from 12 per cent. in 1991 to14.7 per cent. in 2001. However, this proportion fell to 13.4 per cent. in 2003. This translates into an increase in the number of working age individuals with poor physical health of 1.1 million between 1991 and 2001, from 4.15 million in 1991 to 5.2 million in 2001. In 2003, approximately 4.8 million working age adults suffered from poor physical health.
	A similar pattern emerges for pensioners, with an increase in the proportion suffering poor health between 1991 and 2001 (from 38.6 per cent. to 49.1 per cent.), and then a fall in 2003 to 44.9 per cent. This translates into an increase in the number of pensioners with poor health from four million in 1991 to5.2 million in 2001, followed by a fall to 4.8 millionin 2003.
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 12.03 4.15 38.58 4.01 
			 1993 12.47 4.31 37.56 3.91 
			 1995 13.69 4.78 40.36 4.20 
			 1997 14.01 4.86 40.95 4.30 
			 2001 14.76 5.23 49.08 5.20 
			 2003 13.36 4.78 44.90 4.80 
		
	
	 (viii) Lives alone
	There has been an increase in the proportion of the working age population living alone from 7.6 per cent. in 1991 to 11.6 per cent. in 2001, translating into an increase of 1.5 million individuals (from 2.6 million in 1991 to 4.1 million in 2001). This proportion fell to9.7 per cent. in 2003, indicating that about 3.5 million working age individuals lived alone.
	There was also an initial increase in the proportion of pensioners who lived alone from 39.8 per cent. in 1991 to 42.8 per cent. in 1995 (corresponding to an increasing of about 0.3 million individuals). This proportion fell between 1995 and 2003, such that in 2003 36.8 per cent. of pensioners were living alone (corresponding to about four million individuals).
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 7.59 2.62 39.78 4.14 
			 1993 9.39 3.25 42.40 4.41 
			 1995 10.15 3.54 42.75 4.45 
			 1997 10.22 3.55 40.39 4.24 
			 2001 11.63 4.12 39.88 4.23 
			 2003 9.72 3.48 36.76 3.93 
		
	
	 (ix) Lacking consumer durables
	There has been a big decline in the proportion of the working age population who lack consumer durables (defined as having access to fewer than five of the following: car, colour tv, VCR, washing machine, dishwasher, microwave oven, home PC, CD player). This proportion has fallen from 34.5 per cent. in 1991 to just 4.6 per cent. in 2003. This translates into a fall in numbers from 11.9 million in 1991 to 1.65 million in 2003.
	The fall in the proportion of pensioners lacking consumer durables has been equally dramatic, from 83.6 per cent. in 1991 to 35.9 per cent. in 2003. The number of pension age individuals lacking consumer durables has fallen from 8.7 million in 1991 to3.8 million in 2003.
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 34.46 11.89 83.55 8.69 
			 1993 24.06 8.32 74.01 7.70 
			 1995 17.45 6.09 68.25 7.10 
			 1997 13.02 4.52 59.97 6.30 
			 2001 7.37 2.61 45.26 4.80 
			 2003 4.60 1.65 35.91 3.84 
		
	
	 (x) Enduring financial distress
	The proportion of the working age population enduring financial distress (defined as either having problems meeting housing costs or has been more than two months in arrears with their mortgage or rent in the past year) has fallen from 15.2 per cent. in 1991 to 5.6 per cent. in 2003, translating into a reduction of about 3.2 million individuals. In 1991 about 5.2 million working age adults were enduring financial distress, compared to 2 million in 2003.
	There has also been a fall in the proportion of pensioners enduring financial distress over the period, from 6.9 per cent. in 1991 to 1.5 per cent. in 2003. (Although note that this may not be a very good measure of financial distress among pensioners, because a substantial proportion of pensioners do not have housing costs). This reduction translates into a fall in the numbers of pensioners suffering financial distress of about 0.5 million (from 0.7 million in 1991 to 0.2 million in 2003).
	
		
			   Working age population  Pensioners 
			   Proportion  Population estimate (million)  Proportion  Population estimate (million) 
			 1991 15.18 5.24 6.94 0.72 
			 1993 12.18 4.21 4.80 0.50 
			 1995 8.65 3.02 3.67 0.38 
			 1997 7.53 2.61 3.46 0.36 
			 2001 5.90 2.09 1.83 0.19 
			 2003 5.64 2.02 1.52 0.16

EU Emissions Trading System

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with the European Commission on price stability in the EU emissions trading system.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	We have regular discussions with our EU partners about the future of the EU Emissions Trading scheme, especially in connection with the European Commission's forthcoming review. One of the UK's major goals for this review is to increase long term certainty about the future shape of the trading scheme post 2012, which can help improve price stability and provide appropriate signals for more long term investment.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister
	(1)  when he expects to publish his Department's gender equality scheme;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work in his Department are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when they are exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies;
	(3)  what plans he has to carry out gender impact assessments of his Department's major policy developments and new legislation;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department is taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies  (a) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and  (b) to promote equality between women and men.

John Prescott: The Government are committed to the implementation of the gender equality legislation which we introduced. My department is aware of its obligations, and is taking appropriate steps to ensure that it will be able to meet its Gender Equality Duties by the relevant dates.

Hospitality and Travel Costs

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister
	(1)  what the evidential basis was for his statement of13 December 2006,  Official Report, column 858, that the Government have spent less on hospitality and travel than the previous Administration;
	(2)  what the total amount spent on catering, hospitality and official entertainment by his predecessor as Deputy Prime Minister was in 1996-97.

John Prescott: holding answers19 December 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 9 February 1998,  Official Report, column 16, on 22 July 2004,  Official Report, column 465W, and on 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1808W.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-190W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the Senior Civil Service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

John Prescott: Staff in my Department are seconded from the Department for Communities and Local Government, I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 903W.

Arm's Length Management Organisations

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid to arm's-length management organisations (ALMOs) in each year since 2000; how much is expected to be paid in each year up to 2010; how many applications for ALMO status are pending; how much is expected to be paid to those applications pending; how many ALMOs have announced they cannot meet the Decent Homes Target by 2010; how much ALMOs have inherited in housing debt; and what plans she has for the development of ALMOs.

Yvette Cooper: £56 million was allocated to ALMOs in 2002-03, £321 million in 2003-04, £577 million in 2004-05, £854 million in 2005-06 and £845 million is budgeted for 2006-07. Decisions on the 16 applications under round six of the ALMO programme are pending. Communities and local government cannot provide forecasts of future funding for existing or proposed ALMOs, which will depend on the outcome of future spending reviews. No ALMOs have formally announced that they will not be able to make all the stock they manage meet the Decent Homes standard by 2010 though, as my right hon. Friend said in her statement on 7 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 27-29, we expect some areas to continue beyond 2010 where they are starting late on the Decent Homes programme, or where additional time is needed to ensure value for money, deliver mixed communities and the right balance of refurbishment and new build. ALMOs do not incur housing debt, which remains with local authorities. Our plans for the development of ALMOs were set out in the 'Review of Arms Length Management Organisations' published on 7 June 2006.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to the  (a) Department for Communities and Local Government and  (b) Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the 2005-06 session were not answered wholly or in part on the grounds of disproportionate cost;
	(2)  how many written parliamentary questions tothe  (a) Department for Communities and Local Government and  (b) Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the 2005-06 session were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation;
	(3)  how many written parliamentary questions to  (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government and  (b) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the 2005-06 session did not receive an answer.

Angela Smith: In the 2005-06 session, the Department for Communities and Local Government and its predecessor Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received 6,057 written parliamentary questions, excluding questions transferred to other Departments. All questions tabled to the two Departments received an answer. Information on how many questions were not answered wholly or in part on the grounds of disproportionate cost is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Of the 6,057 written questions, 15 (0.25 per cent.) were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation (12 of the 15 questions were tabled only two days prior to prorogation).

Contempt of Court

John Hemming: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  how many people have been held in police cells for more than24 hours in relation to contempt of court proceedings relating to the family courts in each month starting in January 2004;
	(2)  how many people aged  (a) 18 and over,  (b) 16 to 17,  (c) 14 to 15 and  (d) under 14 were given prison sentences by the family courts in each month since January 2004, broken down by sex; and what the (i) longest, (ii) shortest and (iii) average sentence handed down to those given prison sentences was in this period;
	(3)  how many of those imprisoned after in-camera proceedings in family courts in each month since January 2004  (a) attempted suicide and  (b) succeeded in a suicide attempt in prison.

Harriet Harman: The information requested in relation to contempt of court in family proceedings and attempted or actual suicides following imprisonment after in-camera family proceedings is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The only data held concerns cases in the county court and High Court for breaches of non-molestation orders and breaches of occupation orders under Part IV of the Family Law Act 1996. Those figures were provided in my answer of 4 July 2006,  Official Report, column 969W. In those cases, the data does not differentiate between remand in custody and sentenced prisoners, nor by age. If a person is arrested for breach of a non-molestation order or breach of an occupation order, the maximum time a person may be held in custody before appearing in court is 24 hours. The court may subsequently order he be remanded. Of those in custody under Part IV, females represent around 5 per cent. or less.

Africa Conflict and Humanitarian Unit

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the role of the Africa Conflict and Humanitarian Unit is; how many staff are employed in the unit; how much funding the unit has received in each of the last three financial years; what funding is planned for the unit in each of the next three financial years; in which countries it has been operational since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Africa Conflict and Humanitarian Unit (ACHU) was established in 2003 to co-ordinate DFID's humanitarian and conflict prevention work in Africa. It works closely with the central Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department (CHASE) on policy and the overall coherence of DFID's global response. ACHU also provides the secretariat for the joint DFID/FCO/MOD Africa Conflict Prevention Pool (ACPP).
	ACHU has a staff of 10, made up of the Head ofthe Unit, three humanitarian advisers, two conflict advisers, two programme managers, a programme officer, and an information and communications officer. Two regional conflict advisers, based in Africa, also report to the Head of ACHU. These work jointly to DFID, FCO and MOD under the auspices of the ACPP.
	ACHU does not have its own programme budget, nor is it an operational unit. It is an advisory unit supporting DFID's country and regional offices in Africa, and advising the Africa Director on the use of the divisional reserve to meet humanitarian needs. ACHU is also able to call on the central operational team based in CHASE for back-up support in the event of a major catastrophe or to provide supplementary staff support when work loads are high. DFID provides humanitarian assistance in response to needs across Africa as a whole, not just to those countries where we have a country programme.
	DFID does not work with a fixed budget for humanitarian aid in Africa, but responds according to need and in proportion to the UK's role as a leading humanitarian donor within the international community. Preliminary estimates of likely levels of need are made at the start of each financial year, and adjusted on the basis of ongoing assessments as the year unfolds. For this reason, it is not possible to predict what levels of humanitarian spending are likely over the next three years. We do, though, expect to maintain our position as a leading humanitarian donor.
	Over the past three financial years DFID has spent a total of £565.6 million on bilateral humanitarian aid in Africa: £125.4 million in 2003-04, £171.0 million in 2004-05, and £269.4 million in 2005-06. In the three years since 2003-04, Africa's share of DFID's total bilateral humanitarian assistance has risen from40.4 per cent. to 65.6 per cent. Humanitarian needs in Africa in 2005-06 were exceptional, and we do not expect spending to be so high in the current financial year.
	In its role as secretariat for the ACPP, ACHU oversees a joint DFID/FCO/MOD budget for conflict prevention work in Africa. Over the past three financial years this has stood at £50.0 million for 2003-04,£60.0 million for 2004-05, and £60.0 million for 2005-06. In the current year the ACPP budget is£63.0 million, rising to £64.5 million in the next financial year. The ACPP budget is currently under review in the context of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review. The forward budget for conflict prevention work in Africa from 2007-08 onwards is yet to be announced.
	Since its inception, ACHU has supported DFID and wider HMG conflict and humanitarian work throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including in the Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the security situation in Helmand Province in Afghanistan since October.

Des Browne: The security situation in Helmand remains stable. October and November saw a significant decrease in the number of contacts between UK troops and opposition forces compared with previous months although the number of engagements with the Taliban has increased recently.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2006,  Official Report, column 821W, on the Defence Export Services Organisation, what the total salary of all the staff working in the Defence Export Services Organisation was  (a) in 2005 and  (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Defence Export Services Organisation staff costs for 2005-06 are shown in the following table. Forecast costs are given for 2006-07. The receipts shown accrue from Government-to-Government projects, where costs are met by the customer Government.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Financial year 
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			 Expenditure 26.1 25.7 
			 Receipts -13.1 -12.9 
			 Net staff costs 13.0 12.8

Faslane

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) civilian and  (b) service personnel are employed at (i) Faslane naval base and (ii) RNAD Coulport.

Adam Ingram: Individual defence installations donot routinely publish personnel data, as different organisations and agencies are responsible for the same location or site. Figures for the posted location of the UK regular forces and civilians are only available at local authority level using centrally held data.
	Estimates below this level are not routinely produced but a broad estimate of MOD civilian staff in full-time equivalent (FTE) terms is shown in the following table. These figures do not include the workforce of Babcock Naval Services, the commercial partner of HMNB Clyde, who employ additional civilian personnel spread across both sites. Estimates provided by Babcock Naval Services put the total of these personnel at around 1,430.
	
		
			  UK civilian personnel (FTE) by local authority area: 1 November 2006 
			   Total 
			 Scotland 6,700 
			   
			  Argyll and Bute 1,820 
			 Faslane 1,080 
			 Coulport 670 
			  Notes:  1. Full-time equivalency totals that take account of the hours worked by each part-time employee, and will not be consistent with a headcount.  2. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.  Dasa (Civilian) 
		
	
	For service personnel figures for Argyll and Bute, where the vast majority of service personnel posted are located in Faslane and Coulport, are published in Tri Service Publication ten (TSP10). TSP 10 is a quarterly publication, the most recent showing the 1 October 2006 situation. Copies are held in the Library of the house and at
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tspl0/tspl0tabl2.html.

Infantry Recruitment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the intake has been into each infantry battalion in each of the past 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The Army do not recruit soldiers into Infantry Battalions. The Army Recruiting and Training Division, which is responsible for the recruitment and training of soldiers, recruit Infantry Soldiers to the three Infantry Career Employment Groups; namely Line by each Infantry Division, Parachute and Guards. Therefore intake figures for Infantry Battalions are unavailable.
	The following table provides Regular Army Soldier Untrained Intake figures to each division of the Infantry during the past 12 months:
	
		
			  Date of flow  Footguards  Scottish Division  Queen's Division  King's Division  Prince of Wales' Division 
			 October 2005 40 30 20 20 30 
			 November 2005 50 50 50 40 40 
			 December 2005 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 January 2006 150 100 120 110 130 
			 February 2006 40 30 50 50 30 
			 March 2006 50 30 40 (1)— (1)— 
			 April 2006 (1)— 30 90 40 70 
			 May 2006 50 30 40 50 (1)— 
			 June 2006 50 (1)— 40 40 (1)— 
			 July 2006 50 40 40 20 40 
			 August 2006 80 60 90 80 120 
			 September 2006 100 50 110 100 80 
			 Total 670 460 690 550 550 
		
	
	
		
			  Date of flow  Light Division  Royal Irish (General Service)  The Parachute Regiment  Total 
			 October 2005 30 10 (1)— 190 
			 November 2005 90 (1)— 50 360 
			 December 2005 (1)— (1)— (1)— 10 
			 January 2006 120 10 70 820 
			 February 2006 20 (1)— (1)— 230 
			 March 2006 40 10 50 220 
			 April 2006 — (1)— 40 280 
			 May 2006 80 10 40 310 
			 June 2006 50 (1)— (1)— 180 
			 July 2006 80 10 (1)— 290 
			 August 2006 50 (1)— 60 540 
			 September 2006 140 (1)— 110 680 
			 Total 710 60 420 4,100 
			 (1) Denotes zero or rounded to zero.  Notes: 1. Figures are for UK Regular Soldiers only. They exclude Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised Reservists. 2. The data are based on the number of soldiers joining the untrained strength of the Infantry Divisions during the period 1 October 2005 and 30 September 2006. The figures also include untrained soldiers returning from being Long-Term Illegally Absent. 3. The data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. Totals have been rounded separately and therefore may not be equal to the sum of their parts.

Iraq

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many cases of abuse, ill treatment or death of Iraqi detainees involving British troops are  (a) being investigated by the Royal Military Police and  (b) being considered for prosecution;
	(2)  how many cases involving  (a) the death of and  (b) the abuse of an Iraqi detainee in British custody have been dropped through lack of evidence since 2003;
	(3)  how many  (a) officers and  (b) other ranks of the Queen's Lancashire regiment and its successor are being investigated by the Royal Military Police's Special Investigation Branch.

Des Browne: Since the start of operations in Iraq in 2003, 41 investigations have been conducted by the Royal Military Police into the alleged abuse, ill treatment or death of Iraqi detainees. Of these, 35 cases have been closed due to insufficient evidence, two cases have been dealt with by courts-martial, one case is currently being tried by General Court-Martial at Bulford, one case has been dealt with summarily by the Commanding Officer and two investigations are ongoing.
	Of the 35 cases closed due to insufficient evidence,32 have been closed with no further action recommended; two cases were referred to the Army Prosecuting Authority who decided not to institute court-martial proceedings; the remaining case wentto court-martial, which was stayed and then referred to the Crown Prosecuting Authority which decided not to prefer charges.
	The Royal Military Police (Special Investigation Branch) is currently carrying out investigations that involve one officer and three other ranks from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and its successor, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. However, none of these investigations are Iraq related.

Non-lethal Operations

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 882W, on non-lethal operations, what the policy reasons are for non-lethal spray type weapons not being routinely carried by British forces during operations.

Adam Ingram: Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, non lethal spray weapons such as CS smoke may only be used for law enforcement, including domestic riot control purposes and are therefore unsuitable for use on many types of operations carried out by British forces.

Nuclear Weapons

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph B-14 of The future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent, 
	(1)  what level of investment in research and development there will be on effective counter-measures to monitor submarine movements;
	(2)  whether the cost of investment in research and development on effective counter-measures to monitor submarine movements is included in the estimated operating cost of 5 to 6 per cent. of his Department's budget.

Des Browne: Our overall strategy for investment in research and development is set out in the Defence Technology Strategy, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The technologies relevant to ensuring effective counter-measures to attempted monitoring of submarine movement have been identified as priorities in both the Cross-Cutting Technologies section (B2) and the Maritime section (Bl1). The MOD invests in these technologies for anti-submarine warfare and, under current plans, will continue an appropriate level of investment.
	No specific allowance has been made for the costs of such continuing investment in the estimate of the expected in-service costs of the UK's nuclear deterrent once a new fleet of SSBNs comes into service, set out at paragraph 5-14 of the White Paper: "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994), although the estimate makes allowance for the cost of mid-life update of the submarines and also for financial risks and uncertainties.

Nuclear Weapons

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the costs of  (a) D5 nuclear missiles and  (b) other ballistic missiles;
	(2)  what assessments were made of alternative  (a) ballistic and  (b) cruise missiles other than those referred to in the White Paper "The future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent".

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to paragraphs 5-10 and B-4 and Box 5-1 of the White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006.

Royal Marines

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the number of personnel in the Royal Marines was on  (a) 1 December 1997 and  (b)1 December 2006.

Derek Twigg: The number of personnel in the Royal Marines in December 1997 and November 2006 (the latest date for which figures are available) is as follows:
	
		
			   December 1997  November 2006( 1,2) 
			 Total 6,790 7,450 
			
			 Officers 690 810 
			 Trained 610 670 
			 Untrained 80 140 
			
			 Ratings 6,100 6,640 
			 Trained 5,450 5,820 
			 Untrained 660 820 
			 (1) December 2006 figures have not yet been compiled, hence data for November 2006 are provided. (2) Due to a new personnel administration system being introduced to the naval service during October 2006, the figures for November 2006 are provisional and subject to revision.

Suicides

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rate of suicide is among UK armed forces personnel who have seen active service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has centrally compiled and verified records of coroner-confirmed suicides or open verdict deaths among UK service personnel up to 31 December 2005. Between18 January 2003 and 31 December 2005, there were17 coroner-confirmed suicides or open verdict deaths among UK regular armed forces deployed on Operation Telic since 18 January 2003. This includes deaths both in theatre and since their return, among the approximate 100,000 personnel deployed during this period. During this period, there were a further40 suicides or open verdict deaths among those who were not deployed on Operation Telic. Verdicts have yet to be reached for 19 other deaths thought to be due to violent or unnatural causes (excluding accidents), six of which involve personnel who were deployed on Operation Telic during this period.
	These data represent a crude rate of 8.7 suicides and open verdict deaths per 100,000 person-years-at-risk for those who were deployed at some time to Operation Telic. This compares to a rate of 12.7 suicides and open verdict deaths per 100,000 person-years at risk among those who were not deployed to Operation Telic. The difference between these two rates is not statistically significant.
	It is not possible to distinguish between those who saw active service in Iraq from those deployed on Operation Telic who were based in other countries of the Joint Operational Area. Although there has been one case among the reservists in theatre, information on reservists is not available after they have been demobilised following their return to the UK.
	There have been no coroner-confirmed suicides or open verdict deaths in Afghanistan among personnel deployed there. Information on deaths among these personnel since their return from theatre is not currently available.
	The figures provided do not include any violent or unnatural deaths that have not yet been fully investigated by the coroner.

Transport Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) in service,  (b) fit for purpose and  (c) available for immediate deployment (i) C-17A Globemaster, (ii) Hercules C-130, (iii) Tristar and (iv) VC10 fleets there are.

Adam Ingram: The table shows the numbers of C17 Globemaster, Hercules C130, Tristar and VC10 aircraft that are planned to be in service at end March 2007 and that were fit for purpose last month.
	
		
			  Aircraft type  Total fleet planned to be in service FY 2006-07  Numbers of aircraft fit for purpose (average for November 2006)( 1) 
			 C17 Globemaster 4 3 
			 Hercules C130K (2)25 10 
			 Hercules C130J 25 16 
			 Tristar 9 6 
			 VC10 16 9 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Does not reflect the loss of XV206 in Afghanistan on 24 May 2006 or the retirement of four aircraft during FY 2006-07. 
		
	
	Aircraft that are available for immediate deployment are fit for purpose; they are capable of undertaking the required task on a given day. Aircraft are not available for tasking if they are undergoing scheduled maintenance, modification programmes or any other unforeseen rectification work that can arise on a day to day basis. The figures do not reflect the fact that an aircraft assessed as not fit for purpose may be returned to the front line at very short notice to meet the operational need.

European Union

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 18W, on the European Union, whether the European Commission has provided the Government with any information on the cost of European regulation to UK businesses.

Patrick McFadden: The European Commission does not provide the Government with such information. However, the Government have provided the European Commission with data from their administrative burdens measurement exercise to assist with the development of its strategy to measure and set a target to reduce administrative burdens in the European Union. The results of Government's measurement exercise were published on 11 December 2006 alongside 500 simplification proposals which, based on the data, should lead to an estimated reduction in administrative burdens of £2 billion.

Futurebuilders Scheme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the grants paid out under the Futurebuilders scheme; and what the amount was of each.

Edward Miliband: Futurebuilders investments are primarily loans-based. However, investment packages may include a grant element for capacity building or development.
	To date 179 organisations have been offered Futurebuilders investments totalling over £68 million. Of this, £55 million has been offered as loan funding and £13 million as grant funding.
	Investee organisations have so far drawn down a mixture of grant and loan funding totalling£15.9 million from the overall £68 million. A table showing the breakdown of each investment package and sums drawn down has been placed in the Library for the reference of Members.
	Futurebuilders England (FBE) seeks consent from all of the organisations that it funds to publicise their investment. In some cases (those referred to numerically) this consent has not been given as yet either because the deal is still being discussed with the investee and has not yet been accepted, or the organisation has specifically asked that FBE does not publicise their project. Organisations who do not want FBE to publicise their project do so for a number of reasons, for example, they are in the midst of negotiations to purchase a property and would regard details of the investment as commercially sensitive, or where it is engaged in sensitive work such as running a women's refuge where they do not want to publicise their work or their location.

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 189W, on renewable energy, what plans her Department has to increase the amount of energy acquired from renewable sources.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office has exceeded the target set for individual Government Departments to source at least 10 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources by 31 March 2008. There are currently no plans to increase the amount of electricity purchased from renewable sources.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued by Humberside police force in the last five years; and how many of them were breached in each year;
	(2)  how many people were jailed for the breach of an antisocial behaviour order issued by Humberside police force in the last five years;
	(3)  what average number of antisocial behaviour orders was issued by police forces in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

John Reid: Antisocial behaviour orders are issued by the courts. ASBOs may be issued on application or conviction. Those issued on application, may be applied for by the police or other relevant authorities. The available information is given in the tables.
	
		
			  Table A: Number of ASBOs issued at all courts, as notified to the Home Office by the Court Service, in the Humberside( 1)  criminal justice system area, on application and conviction, 1 June 2000( 2)  to 30 September 2005 (latest available) 
			   Issued following application by:   
			  Period  Police  Other applicants  Total  Issued on conviction  Total issued 
			 June-December 2000 9 — 9 n/a 9 
			 2001 — 4 4 n/a 4 
			 2002 — 4 4 — 4 
			 2003 2 2 4 2 6 
			 2004 14 10 24 42 66 
			 January- September 2005 15 17 32 69 101 
			 Total 40 37 77 113 190 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) Coterminous with the Humberside police force area. (2) Prior to this date ASBO data were collected on aggregate numbers only.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Number of ASBOs issued in Humberside and proven in court to have been breached, as reported to the Home Office, in each year from 1 June 2000( 1)  to 30 September 2005 
			ASBO breached 
			  Period  Total issued  Total in each year( 1)  Persons given a custodial sentence on at least one occasion( 2) 
			 From June 2000(3) 9 1 — 
			 2001 4 1 — 
			 2002 4 3 2 
			 2003 6 6 4 
			 2004 66 n/a n/a 
			 To September 2005 101 n/a n/a 
			 Total 190 11 6 
			 n/a = not currently available. (1) An ASBO can be issued in one year and breached in another. Also one of the ASBOs given in the table was breached in two different years and is counted in both. (2) The year is determined by the occasion of the severest penalty, which may or may not correspond to the occasion of the first breach. (3) Prior to this date data on ASBO issues were collected on aggregate numbers only. None were reported as being issued in the Humberside police force area during the period.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: The number and average number of ASBOs issued at all courts in England and Wales, as notified to the Home Office by the Court Service, 1 June 2000( 1)  to 30 September 2005 (latest available) 
			   Issued following application by:
			  Period  Police  Other applicant  Total  Issued on conviction  Total issued  Average number issued( 2) 
			 2000 (June to December) 66 69 135 n/a 135 3 
			 2001 99 224 323 n/a 323 8 
			 2002 140 263 403 1 404 10 
			 2003 133 448 581 462 1,043 25 
			 2004 230 770 1,000 1,668 2,668 64 
			 2005 (January to September) 193 616 809 1,870 2,679 64 
			 Total 861 2,390 3,251 4,001 7,252 173 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) Prior to this date ASBO data were collected on aggregate numbers only. (2) Across the 42 criminal justice system areas. Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum seekers who arrived in the United Kingdom between 2005 and 2006 now reside in Scotland.

Liam Byrne: The percentage of asylum seekers who arrived in the United Kingdom between 2005 and 2006 that now reside in Scotland is not available and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.
	Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on the support that the asylum seeker receives. The number of asylum seekers in receipt of support from IND are published on a quarterly and annual basis, broken down by Government Office Region and local authority. The latest publication covering the third quarter of 2006 is available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	Further breakdowns by parliamentary constituency are also available from the Library of the House.

Burglary and Violence Convictions

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of people convicted of  (a) burglary and  (b) violence against the person were sent to prison in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of these were sent to prison for their first offence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is contained in the table.
	The most recent custody information for first-time offenders was published in October 2005 in "Sentencing Statistics 2004", Home Office Statistical Bulletin No: 15/05. This report is available online at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/ hosb1505.pdf The percentage of first-time offenders sentenced to custody can be found in Table 6.6.
	Figures for first-time offenders sentenced to custody by offence group are not readily available.
	
		
			  Persons sentenced to immediate custody for offences of burglary and violence against the person, England and Wales 
			  Percentage 
			   Burglary  Violence against the person 
			 1996 42 31 
			 1997 45 30 
			 1998 47 30 
			 1999 49 31 
			 2000 51 32 
			 2001 51 32 
			 2002 51 31 
			 2003 47 30 
			 2004 45 31 
			 2005 42 32 
			  Note: Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office.

Community Support Officers

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers were planned to be delivered in each police area under the target to introduce 24,000 officers; and how many will be delivered in each area under the plan for 16,000.

John Reid: Table A gives the estimated number each force would have employed by March 2008 to achieve a national target of 24,000 police community support officers (PCSOs). A written ministerial statement on 27 November announced changes to this plan in the light of the progress that the police service has made towards delivering neighbourhood policing and requests from the service for greater flexibility. Table B gives the number to be delivered by April 2007 to achieve a national target of 16,000 PCSOs for 2007-08.
	
		
			  Table A: Estimate for 24,000 PCSOs England and Wales 
			   March 2008 
			 Avon and Somerset 541 
			 Bedfordshire 199 
			 Cambridgeshire 287 
			 Cheshire 353 
			 City of London 118 
			 Cleveland 215 
			 Cumbria 170 
			 Derbyshire 288 
			 Devon and Cornwall 535 
			 Dorset 236 
			 Durham 263 
			 Dyfed-Powys 123 
			 Essex 547 
			 Gloucestershire 252 
			 Greater Manchester 1,238 
			 Gwent 221 
			 Hampshire 539 
			 Hertfordshire 369 
			 Humberside 332 
			 Kent 571 
			 Lancashire 630 
			 Leicestershire 350 
			 Lincolnshire 233 
			 Merseyside 742 
			 Metropolitan 6,389 
			 Norfolk 280 
			 North Wales 248 
			 North Yorkshire 269 
			 Northamptonshire 213 
			 Northumbria 671 
			 Nottinghamshire 406 
			 South Wales 511 
			 South Yorkshire 521 
			 Staffordshire 339 
			 Suffolk 216 
			 Surrey 329 
			 Sussex 525 
			 Thames Valley 675 
			 Warwickshire 202 
			 West Mercia 388 
			 West Midlands 1,187 
			 West Yorkshire 1,097 
			 Wiltshire 206 
			 Total 24,024 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Target 16,000 PCSOs 
			   April 2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 346 
			 Bedfordshire 128 
			 Cambridgeshire 195 
			 Cheshire 237 
			 City of London 52 
			 Cleveland 122 
			 Cumbria 105 
			 Derbyshire 160 
			 Devon and Cornwall 356 
			 Dorset 162 
			 Durham 172 
			 Dyfed-Powys 62 
			 Essex 362 
			 Gloucestershire 178 
			 Greater Manchester 828 
			 Gwent 129 
			 Hampshire 333 
			 Hertfordshire 252 
			 Humberside 210 
			 Kent 382 
			 Lancashire 417 
			 Leicestershire 229 
			 Lincolnshire 149 
			 Merseyside 466 
			 Metropolitan 4,562 
			 Norfolk 189 
			 North Wales 157 
			 North Yorkshire 183 
			 Northamptonshire 138 
			 Northumbria 432 
			 Nottinghamshire 257 
			 South Wales 325 
			 South Yorkshire 328 
			 Staffordshire 209 
			 Suffolk 142 
			 Surrey 222 
			 Sussex 354 
			 Thames Valley 417 
			 Warwickshire 139 
			 West Mercia 270 
			 West Midlands 751 
			 West Yorkshire 760 
			 Wiltshire 135 
			 Total 16,002

Drug Users: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug users are registered with the Peterborough drug intervention programme; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 8 January 2007
	Peterborough is a Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) "intensive" area—which means that all aspects of the programme are in place there. These include drug testing for heroin and crack/cocaine following arrest for "trigger offences", or any offence where a police officer of inspector rank or above suspects the misuse of such drugs caused or contributed to the offence. For those who test positive there is a requirement to attend an initial assessment with a drugs worker and, where applicable, restrictions on bail are used to encourage offenders to address their drug misuse problems. Other features of the programme are the case management of offenders and the brokering of access to other service such as housing or training support.
	The DIP management information system indicates that, in September 2006 the cumulative caseload for Peterborough Drug Action Team area stood at 99 clients. In this context, being on the caseload means that individuals are being case managed by drug workers, having been assessed as requiring interventions which are agreed in a specific care plan. The drugs worker will ensure that there is at all times co-ordination of the care plan, which in addition to drug treatment this may include support with issues relating to accommodation, finances and rebuilding family relationships. The cumulative caseload will change as new clients are engaged and existing ones no longer require management or are temporarily suspended while their management is supervised elsewhere.
	Drug related crime is falling. Acquisitive crime, to which drug-related crime makes a substantial contribution, fell by almost 16 per cent. between April 4 and March 6.

Fireworks Act

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under the Fireworks Act 2003; and what representations he has received on behalf of animal owners concerned about the impact of fireworks.

Vernon Coaker: Information from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court, for offences under the Fireworks Act 2003 in England and Wales 2005, can be viewed in the following table.
	In addition, penalty notices for disorder (PND) can be issued for a range of offences under the Fireworks Act 2003. The offences, of breach of the fireworks curfew, possession of category four fireworks, and possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework were added to the PND scheme on 11 October 2004. Persons committing these offences can receive a fixed penalty of £80. The number of persons issued with penalty notices for disorder for firework offences in England and Wales, in 2005, and provisional data for January to June 2006, can also be viewed in the following table.
	DEFRA has received various correspondence from animal owners concerned about the impact of fireworks.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under the Fireworks Act 2003 in England Wales, 2005( 1,2) 
			  Statute  Offence description  Proceeded against 
			 Fireworks Act 2003 S.11 (3)(a)(b),(4) Knowingly or recklessly making a statement which is false in a material particular when a requirement to give information is imposed by or under fireworks regulations. (3)— 
			 Fireworks Act 2003 S. 11 (1 )(4) Contravening a prohibition imposed by fireworks regulations. 90 
			 Fireworks Act 2003 s.11 (2)(4) Failure to comply with a requirement imposed in or under fireworks regulations to give or not give information. 4 
			 Total  94 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3 )Nil  Source:  RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Harmondsworth Centre

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the private contractor running Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre is financially liable for  (a) damage caused to the facility in the disturbances on 29 November and  (b) costs incurred by the Home Office in bringing the disturbances under control.

John Reid: Harmondsworth IRC is fully insured. Harmondsworth Detention Services Ltd. which operates the Centre under contract with the Secretary of State for the Home Department is liable for a share of the policy deductible. The Secretary of State is considering any potential liabilities of the Contractor and the insurers in relation to the costs of bringing the disturbance under control.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU nationals were  (a) convicted in England and Wales for (i) trafficking and (ii) facilitating illegal entry and  (b) deported without charge following investigations into such activity in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 19 December 2006
	To date we have seen 30 convictions for trafficking for sexual exploitation under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in England and Wales, four of these convictions have involved EU nationals.
	At the present time, IND-UKIS Border Control has no centrally collated data on the numbers of EU nationals convicted for facilitating illegal entry. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	EEA nationals cannot be deported without charge as EEA nationals and their dependants are exempt from administrative removal under section 10 of the 1999 Immigration Act.

Human Trafficking

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006 to the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire,  Official Report, columns 833-4W, on people trafficking, when he expects a decision to be made on whether the Government will sign the European Convention on action against trafficking in human beings; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 8 January 2007
	The UK fully supports the multiple aims of the Convention and participated actively in the negotiations.
	The Home Secretary is at present giving the matter his fullest consideration and will be writing to colleagues in Government in the near future. There are no time limits within which signature must take place.
	The UK Government are firmly committed to tackling trafficking in human beings, domestically and internationally. Plans were published in November for a new joint venture between SOCA and the Immigration Service to tackle organised immigration crime and have recently established a new UK Human Trafficking Centre to coordinate action in this area.

Leave to Remain

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will break down by nationality the number of persons granted indefinite leave to remain under the family indefinite leave to remain exercise announced by his predecessor on 24 October 2003.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 December 2006
	The following table shows the top 20 nationalities of persons granted indefinite leave to remain under the terms of the family indefinite leave to remain exercise as at 30 September 2006, the latest date for which information has been published.
	Further information on the Family ILR exercise is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom.
	Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	
		
			  Grants of ILR issued under the IND Family ILR exercise as at 30 September 2006 ( 1,2) , by Nationality 
			  Nationality  Grants of ILR issued 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 3,905 
			 Sri Lanka 1,945 
			 Turkey 1,735 
			 Pakistan 1,220 
			 Nigeria 1,125 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo 935 
			 Colombia 715 
			 Afghanistan 700 
			 Kenya 685 
			 Ecuador 665 
			 Ghana 595 
			 Somalia 590 
			 Poland 580 
			 China 545 
			 Iran 465 
			 Sierra Leone 405 
			 India 380 
			 Lithuania 380 
			 Uganda 365 
			 Croatia 350 
			 Other 6,055 
			 Grand total 24,340 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5. (2) Main asylum applicant only.

Leave to Remain

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the policy review of the practice of giving two months discretionary leave to remain to any citizen who cannot provide evidence of existing leave to remain at a port of entry will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: A review of the guidance for dealing with passengers who are unable to provide evidence of their existing leave conditions at port will be completed shortly. The revised guidance will be published on the Home Office website in the new year.

Leave to Remain

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain were submitted in each year between 1997 and 2005; how many are awaiting a decision; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The required statistics in the following table are obtained from the General Case Information Database, which although operational from late 2001 was not fully utilised until 2002. These figures show the volumes of main applicants applying for non-asylum indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
	Of these, approximately 20,000 are awaiting a decision in general casework areas. Information about cases in other business areas could be obtained by detailed records searches only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Number of non-asylum indefinite leave to remain applications from 2001-05( 1) 
			 2002 98,800 
			 2003 103,800 
			 2004 94,800 
			 2005 114,600 
			 (1)Figures given are rounded to the nearest 100  Note: The above data is not provided under the National Statistics protocols. It has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.

Migrant Workers: Bulgaria and Romania

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what controls he plans to put in place to ensure that building workers coming from Bulgaria and Romania under the highly skilled migrant workers programme have the requisite skills.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 December 2006
	The proposed Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 provide for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals to be issued with a registration certificate giving access to the labour market if the Secretary of State is satisfied that they are highly skilled. They will be deemed to be highly skilled if they meet the criteria specified for the issuance of a document under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/homepage.html or if they have been awarded qualifications specified in the Regulations.
	Applications for a registration certificate on this basis will need to be accompanied by documentary evidence of qualifications, and in the case of applications that are to be considered against Highly Skilled Migrant programme criteria, other documentary evidence of previous earnings and employment.

Migrant Workers: Bulgaria and Romania

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what controls will be put in place to ensure that low skilled workers from Bulgaria and Romania permitted to enter the UK to work in agriculture and food processing are restricted to that type of work.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 December 2006
	The proposed Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 require Bulgarian and Romanian nationals intending to take employment in the United Kingdom to be in possession of a document confirming that they are authorised to work, except where they are exempt from the requirement to do so.
	In the case of those coming to do agricultural work, this will take the form of a work card issued by an approved operator under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme. In the case of those coming of work in the food processing sector, it will take the form of an accession worker card issued on the basis that the employment has been approved under the criteria of the Sectors Based Scheme.
	In both cases, the document will specify the employer for whom the worker is authorised to work and will not confer permission to undertake other employment. If the holder engages in employment other than that specified on the document they will commit an offence.

Police

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what projects for minority groups were financially supported by the Metropolitan police in the last two financial years; and what funding is planned in 2006-07.

Tony McNulty: This is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Commissioner of Police for the Metroplis.

Prison Service

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the Phoenix computer system for HM Prison Service has been delayed; who is responsible for the implementation of the system; when he expects the system to become operational; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 8 January 2007
	The Phoenix programme has met all key milestones. IT systems and the Shared Service Centre have been implemented to plan.
	During November a processing fault in the procurement application caused it to be temporarily withdrawn. A solution has now been implemented and all sites will have the service reinstated by 22 December.
	Ann Beasley, Director of Finance for the Prison Service is the senior responsible owner for the Phoenix programme.

Prisons

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are serving sentences of  (a) less than three months and  (b) between three and six months.

John Reid: Information on the numbers of prisoners serving sentences of less than six months can be found in the following table which is taken from webtable 8.19 to be published shortly in conjunction with the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.
	
		
			  Population in prison establishments serving immediate custodial sentences up to six months, as at 30 June 2005 
			   Number 
			 Up to and including three months 1,882 
			 Over three months and including six months 4,127

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place for the provision of advice on  (a) benefits and  (b) debt to prisoners on release.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Jobcentre Plus advisers work in most prisons, and offer, advice and assistance with potential employment opportunities, closing down benefit claims and with the completion of forms including for community care grants or crisis loans prior to discharge.
	Prisoners who do not have a job or training place to go to on release also have the opportunity to have a Freshstart interview booked prior to release to enable them to attend a local Jobcentre within the first few days of discharge.
	This provides them with opportunity to seek employment and links them into the benefit system.
	Debt advice is provided across the prison estate through local management arrangements by a variety of voluntary and statutory organisations.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average number of hours of purposeful activity was undertaken by a prisoner per week in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and for what reason this figure is no longer published by the Prison Service or Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The average number of weekly hours of purposeful activity per prisoner during the last 10 years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Purposeful activity outturns since 1996-97 
			  Financial year  Percentage 
			 1996-97 23.8 
			 1997-98 23.3 
			 1998-99 22.8 
			 1999-2000 23.2 
			 2000-01 23.8 
			 2001-02 23.4 
			 2002-03 22.6 
			 2003-04 23.1 
			 2004-05 24.4 
			 2005-06 25.2 
		
	
	Purposeful Activity ceased to be a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in 2003-04 but remains an establishment level Key Performance Target (KPT). Ministers agreed that outcome-based KPIs introduced in respect of education, rehabilitation and resettlement provide a better demonstration of the efforts to equip prisoners to be less likely to offend on release. Establishments are set annual targets for prisoner activity and performance continues to be monitored internally.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average number of hours a prisoner spent outside his or her cell per day in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The average number of hours of time out of cell for each prisoner during the last 10 years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Time out of cell outturns since 1996-97 
			   Average time out of cell per prisoner per weekday 
			 1996-97 11.2 
			 1997-98 10.9 
			 1998-99 10.6 
			 1999-2000 10.2 
			 2000-01 9.6 
			 2001-02 9.6 
			 2002-03 9.8 
			 2003-04 9.9 
			 2004-05 10.0 
			 2005-06 10.0

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what average distance from their homes  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners are held; and how many prisoners are held over 100 miles away from their home.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As at 29 September 2006, the average distance from home for male prisoners was 50 miles, and for women prisoners the average distance from home was 58 miles.
	Around 10,700 prisoners are located over 100 miles from home.
	Distance from home is calculated using either home address, which is held for approximately 45 per cent. of prisoners, or where no home address is listed the committal court is used a proxy.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the means by which illegal substances are most commonly brought into prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office commissioned a substantial piece of research that identified patterns of drug use and supply routes. The six main routes identified were social visits, mail, new receptions, prison staff, over the perimeter wall and reception after court visits.
	A comprehensive range of measures are in place to target these routes.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the number of prisoners suffering from mental health problems; and how many prisons have mental health in-reach teams.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A survey, Psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics, 1998) showed that 90 per cent. of prisoners have at least one significant mental health problem, including personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse and drug dependence. A copy is available in the Library.
	Mental health services for prisoners have been a key part of the Government's recent reforms of health services for prisoners. The Department of Health is now investing nearly £20 million a year in NHS mental health in-reach services for prisoners. These are community mental health teams working within prisons and are now available in 102 prisons, with some 360 extra staff employed. Every prison in England and Wales has access to these services.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the incidence of self-harm among  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Based on information compiled from incidents recorded on the Prison Service Incident Reporting System, the total number of recorded self-harm incidents in 2005 was approximately 21,600; with 9,100 involving male prisoners and 12,500 involving female prisoners. Many of these incidents involve the same individuals.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the average cost per year of keeping an offender in  (a) an adult prison,  (b) a young offender institution and  (c) a secure training centre, broken down by main budget heading.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The cost per place in each type of prison establishment for 2005-06 is shown separately for the public and contracted sectors in the tables.
	The Prison Service does not routinely collate cost per place data by specific elements of expenditure.
	
		
			  Table 113641 A: public sector prison costs by function 
			  Function name  Cost per prison place (£) 
			 Male category B 25,881 
			 Male category C 21,976 
			 Male dispersal 43,904 
			 Female closed 34,617 
			 Female local 37,366 
			 Female open 23,932 
			 Male closed YOI 32,887 
			 Male juvenile 42,143 
			 Male local 31,912 
			 Male open 120,183 
			 Male open YOI 27,413 
			 Semi open 23,571 
			 Prison totals 28,486 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 113641 B: contracted sector prison costs by function 
			  Function name  Cost per prison place (£) 
			 Male category B 26,813 
			 Male category C 20,855 
			 Female closed 44,400 
			 Male juvenile 48,669 
			 Male local 33,805 
			 Prison totals 33,722 
		
	
	In 2005-06, the cost of the four secure training centres (STCs), commissioned from the private sector by the Youth Justice Board, was £47.2 million, for 274 places. This represents a cost per place figure of £172,300.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were housed  (a) with one other person in a cell designated for one and  (b) with two other persons in a cell designated for two, in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the average number of prisoners held two to a cell certified for one, for each of the last 10 years, and the number of prisoners held three to a cell certified for two, for each of the last three years. Three to a cell information is not available from before April 2003.
	
		
			  Doubling and three to cell information since 1996-97 
			   Average monthly: 
			  Financial year  Doubling( 1)  Three to a cell( 1) 
			 1996-97 9,498 n/a 
			 1997-98 11,548 n/a 
			 1998-99 12,024 n/a 
			 1999-2000 12,221 n/a 
			 2000-01 11,128 n/a 
			 2001-02 11,449 n/a 
			 2002-03 14,588 n/a 
			 2003-04 16,363 1,270 
			 2004-05 16,878 1,048 
			 2005-06 16,986 1,133 
			 n/a = not available. (1) Figures subject to rounding.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides there were in prisons classified as overcrowded in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Self-inflicted deaths in crowded prisons 
			   Number 
			 1996 29 
			 1997 38 
			 1998 67 
			 1999 63 
			 2000 61 
			 2001 50 
			 2002 72 
			 2003 82 
			 2004 76 
			 2005 69 
			  Notes: 1. A crowded prison is defined as one in which the prison population is more than the certified normal accommodation. 2. Self-inflicted deaths includes all deaths where it appears the individual acted specifically to take their own life, not only those that received a suicide or open verdict at inquest

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the two prisons he announced for reroling in October 2006 are additional to the reroling of Brockhill and Bullwood Hall already announced by his Department in the spring.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The two prisons referred to in the Home Secretary's statement of 9 October 2006 were the two women's prisons Brockhill and Bullwood Hall.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the Prison Service budget was spent on education in 2005-06.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Service spent £85.2 million on education in 2005-06. This represents 4.5 per cent. of the gross budget. The Prison Service fully recovered this expenditure by invoicing DfES who hold the budget for prisoners' education.
	The net cost to the Prison Service was nil.

Probation Service

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the evidential basis is for the proposals for reform of the probation service;
	(2)  what the evidential basis is for his statement that the Offender Management Bill will drive up standards.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Offender Management Bill will enable the Secretary of State to commission probation services from providers in the voluntary, charitable and private sectors, to work alongside the public sector in the delivery of probation services. Experience in the custodial sector has shown that the introduction of alternative providers has helped to raise performance: there have been efficiency savings of up to 8.5 per cent. improved standards of decency and innovation in staffing structures and prison design. The public sector has also raised its game in response. We expect to see similar effects in probation.

Probation: Alcohol Misuse

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the availability of treatment for alcohol misusers on probation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In May the National Probation Directorate (NPD) published Working with Alcohol Misusing Offenders—a strategy for delivery. The strategy, which complements the Prison Service Alcohol Strategy to create a coherent NOMS Alcohol Strategy, contains a number of actions for NPD and recommendations for probation areas to improve provision, many of which are being taken forward in 2006-07.

Proceeds of Crime Act

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value has been of items collected under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each police authority in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: Information is not available in the form requested. A confiscation order is made by the court for a sum of money to be paid by the defendant. It need not be paid from any particular assets or items. The value of confiscation orders and cash forfeiture orders obtained by each police force in England and Wales in each of the last three years under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and earlier legislation is set out in the Table.
	
		
			  Total value of confiscation orders and cash forfeiture orders obtained by police Forces in England And Wales( 1) 
			  £ 
			  Force  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 594,347 1,959,930 1,522,574 
			 Bedfordshire Police 3,392,094 154,828 272,110 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 278,679 2,695,434 21 1 ,225 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 250,263 541,557 828,304 
			 City of London Police 1,200,282 2,211,123 1,535,450 
			 Cleveland Police 19,140 230,220 914,060 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 120,917 1,124,156 368,023 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 71,140 2,540,453 330,629 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 192,616 1,182,881 880,765 
			 Dorset Police 147,532 1,050,401 973,179 
			 Durham Constabulary 235,600 477,399 1,010,122 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 121,750 201,061 459,740 
			 Essex Police 0 192,804 652,297 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 930,442 390,469 370,472 
			 Greater Manchester Police 2,798,966 3,453,431 5,310,908 
			 Gwent Police 52,140 442,673 489,843 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 298,447 333,792 860,511 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 929,368 440,353 568,276 
			 Humberside Police 826,661 255,656 263,562 
			 Kent Police 1,210,503 1,926,936 1,276,675 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 120,953 3,743,146 4,621,451 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 1,087,417 891,588 1,121,491 
			 Lincolnshire Police 143,411 307,912 1,498,169 
			 Merseyside Police 1,217,852 2,908,71 1 3,358,387 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 5,950,410 26,426,648 35,028,509 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 89,325 911,868 3,574,093 
			 North Wales Police 89,522 109,758 1,025,456 
			 North Yorkshire Police 0 205,081 413,504 
			 Northamptonshire Police 556,066 1,063,417 748,569 
			 Northumbria Police 691,770 909,645 756,663 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 875,434 1,336,612 477,136 
			 South Wales Police 75,637 400,577 5,167,828 
			 South Yorkshire Police 784,579 1,330,077 1,292,706 
			 Staffordshire Police 373,784 260,405 1,164,691 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 137,649 430,715 666,872 
			 Surrey Police 1,480,550 648,947 790,279 
			 Sussex Police 652,221 1,002,181 2,281,707 
			 Thames Valley Police 1,182,132 750,663 2,264,483 
			 Warwickshire Police 83,116 57,357 254,391 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 1,180,461 999, 467 1 ,304,937 
			 West Midlands Police 819,117 2,053,433 3,568,894 
			 West Yorkshire Police 2,874,164 2,265,457 4,438,068 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 39,848 482,559 233,976 
			 (1) Includes cases involving regional asset recovery teams and assets recovery agency.

Prostitution

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to engage other Government departments with the prostitution strategy; and how this work is co-ordinated.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office co-ordinates the implementation of the strategy through bilateral meetings at official level, overseen by the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Sexual Offending. The following Government Department's are represented on the Ministerial Group:
	Department for Education and Skills
	Department of Health
	Department for Constitutional Affairs
	Department for Communities and Local Government
	Attorney General's Office
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Recalled Prisoners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were recalled to prison for breach of the conditions of their release in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the numbers of recalls of prisoners released on licence from prison establishments in England and Wales can be found in tables 10.7, 10.8 and 10.9 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005. This publication has recently been published and a copy is available in the House of Commons Library; it can also be accessed over the web at the website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1806.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Re-offending

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of re-offending to England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This information is not routinely collected and producing estimates would require disproportionate cost. There are some readily available sources that provide some indications of the nature of re-offending.
	Information on the estimated costs of offences against individuals and households for 2003-04 and 2000 are published in Home Office Online Report 30/05 "The economic and social costs of crime against individuals and households 2003-04".

Sentencing

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average sentence was for  (a) assault and  (b) assault with a minor injury on a police officer in each year since 2002.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is contained in the table.
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length and proportion of persons given immediate custody for offences( 1)  of common assault and assault on a police constable, England and Wales 
			   Common assault  Assault on a police constable( 2) 
			   Percentage given custody  Average custodial sentence length (months)  Percentage given custody  Average custodial sentence length (months) 
			 2002 10.7 2.9 19.6 2.9 
			 2003 10.1 3.0 18.4 2.8 
			 2004 11.3 3.1 19.1 2.9 
			 2005 11.2 3.1 19.7 2.9 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Excludes offences of resisting or obstructing a police constable in execution of duty.  Note: Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office.

Thames Valley Police

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure by the Thames Valley Police was under the headings of  (a) non-incident linked paperwork,  (b) checking paperwork (supervisory),  (c) robberies,  (d) house burglaries and  (e) violent crime identified by the recent Activity Based Costing Review for 2004-05.

Tony McNulty: The information supplied to the Home Office for the 2004-05 Activity Based Costing review did not include cost data for non-incident linked paperwork and checking paperwork.
	The other information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Robberies 10.1 
			 House burglaries (domestic violence) 18.3 
			 Violent crime (all violence) 23.1 
			  Note: Figures taken from Thames Valley ABC return for 2004-05.

Work Permits and Visas

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have made representations about their stay rights having been granted a valid work permit since the change of system from unified work permit and stay visa application to separate applications for each; how his officials are dealing with such inquiries; if he will instruct his officials to take account of potential confusions following the change of system when permission to stay is being considered; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not keep a record of the number of applicants who have made representations on their further leave to remain applications since the unified process was separated in April 2004. The regulations regarding the change to a two-stage application process (work permit and then leave to remain application) were laid before Parliament on 10 March 2004. Information was also published on the Home Office's website www.workingintheuk.gov.uk on 15 March along with the new application forms.
	All representations are considered under the published Immigration Rules and internal guidance instructions, which caseworkers follow when considering all applications. Guidance on the change to a two-stage process was issued to caseworkers in March 2004.

Apprenticeships

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many apprentices left their course during each quarter of the past three years; and what steps he is taking to reduce the drop-out rate.

Bill Rammell: Figures for those participating in apprenticeships funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) can be derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The work-based learning (WBL) ILR was collated as an interim collection for the first time in 2001/02 and figures are presented from that time:
	The following table shows the success rate for apprenticeship courses on an annual basis (quarterly figures are not available). Drop-out rates do not exist for apprenticeships; the closest metric is the success rate which refers to the proportion of those who complete apprenticeships in each academic year who achieve the full apprenticeship framework in England. We are making good progress towards meeting a new performance indicator that by 2008 the numbers completing apprenticeships will have risen by three quarters (over 2002/03).
	
		
			  Apprenticeship success rate, England 
			   Percentage 
			 2001/02 24 
			 2002/03 27 
			 2003/04 31 
			 2004/05 40 
		
	
	The Learning and Skills Council is working to assess provider performance against minimum levels of performance, expanding excellent provision, demanding improved success rates or looking to re-tender provision where appropriate to meet the needs and protect the interests of learners and employers.

Apprenticeships

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many modern apprenticeships have been undertaken in  (a) Leeds, West and  (b) Leeds in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: Figures for those participating in apprenticeships funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) can be derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). Figures for Leeds are available from 2002/03 onwards.
	The following table shows the average number of apprentices in learning in Leeds based on the home postcode of the learner:
	
		
			  Leeds  Apprentices 
			 2002/03 2,790 
			 2003/04 3,040 
			 2004/05 3,010 
			 2005/06 2,990 
			  Note: Figures rounded to nearest 10.

Child Care

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of child care  (a) places and  (b) providers have closed in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Closure rate for child care providers and places 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  March to September 2006 
			   Provider closure rate  Places closure rate  Provider closure rate  Places closure rate  Provider closure rate  Places closure rate  Provider closure rate  Places closure rate 
			 Childminders 16.7 15.8 21.8 19.9 14.3 13.9 8.6 8.2 
			 Full day care 9.7 8.4 14.5 12.7 9.7 8.6 5.3 4.8 
			 Out of school 13.0 12.1 22.6 21.2 14.1 13.9 9.2 8.7 
			 All 15.5 11.6 20.9 17.1 13.7 11.5 8.2 6.8 
			  Source:  Ofsted 
		
	
	Ofsted data on closures include registered places in settings which are transferring ownership, and in settings which move from one Ofsted category to another, not just in those which are ceasing trading. For example, if a sessional provider moved to offering full day care provision, this would be recorded as a 'closed' sessional setting and an 'opened' full day care setting. The Ofsted data therefore exaggerates the true extent of turnover in both terms of the number of places and providers.
	Prior to April 2003 the method of collecting data from local authorities did not enable the calculation of a figure for the stock of child care providers or places therefore it is not possible to provide a percentage figure for the closures of providers or places for the periods 2001-02 and 2002-03.
	Closure rates should be seen in the context of opening rates for the corresponding periods and are shown in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Opening rate for child care providers and places 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  March to September 2006 
			   Provider opening rate  Places opening rate  Provider opening rate  Places opening rate  Provider opening rate  Places opening rate  Provider opening rate  Places opening rate 
			 Childminders 22.5 21.6 18.6 18.8 16.7 15.8 8.1 7.6 
			 Full day care 22.6 24.8 23.3 24.6 17.5 17.0 8.8 8.0 
			 Out of school 25.9 24.7 27.3 25.4 21.8 20.9 10.9 10.1 
			 All 22.9 23.9 20.2 23.3 17.4 17.8 8.5 8.5 
			  Source:  Ofsted 
		
	
	Ofsted have produced figures on the numbers of registered child care providers and places on a quarterly basis from March 2003. Their latest figures were published in their report "Registered Childcare Providers and Places, September 2006", which is available on their website,
	www.Ofsted.gov.uk/.

Children in Care

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of the provision of support for children in care through  (a) peer support and  (b) mentors; and what steps he is taking to promote these forms of support.

Parmjit Dhanda: Mentoring for children in care features in a number of local authority programmes and voluntary sector initiatives and there is anecdotal evidence of its potential benefits. In recognition of this the Department is providing up to £1.5 million for the development and evaluation of an adult mentoring programme for 600 looked after children aged between 10 and 15 to be delivered through the voluntary and community sector. In addition, peer mentoring is a feature of a three-year DfES funded pilot project led by the School Home Support Service UK which is designed to support children in care who are making the transition from primary to secondary school.

Educational Maintenance Allowance

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the costs of the Educational Maintenance Allowance were in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the allowance to all A-level students.

Bill Rammell: During the 2005/06 academic year the total Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) expenditure was £443.5 million, of which £396.8 million was specifically spent on student payments.
	The estimated total cost of EMA if it was extended to all young people in full-time further education, based on the 2005/06 full-time education participation figures which include A Level students, is £1,057 million.
	From April 2006 EMA was extended to young people on LSC funded programme led apprenticeships and entry to employment programmes. Therefore in addition to the costs for those in full-time further education, there would be additional costs for students participating on those work-based learning programmes.

Foreign Postgraduate Students

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what correspondence his Department has with the Home Office to determine whether students from countries of weapons of mass destruction proliferation concern could use their studies in the UK for unfriendly purposes; how many projects of the students referred to in the answer of 13 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1870W, on foreign postgraduate students, are being supported from UK public funds; and if he will ask the relevant funding body to place in the Library the synopses sent to it as part of the awards process.

Bill Rammell: The Department has not been in correspondence with the Home Office on this matter but DfES officials have attended meetings convened by the Cabinet Office about the student vetting scheme at which Home Office officials have also been present. International postgraduate students are not eligible to receive student grants or loans, but there are a number of Government scholarships schemes which are available to talented students from around the world.
	The largest of these is the Chevening scholarship scheme administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2004/05 there were seven students from China in receipt of Chevening awards studying biology, chemistry, physics or chemical process and energy engineering. No other students from the six countries referred to in the answer of 13 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1870W were studying these subjects and in receipt of a Chevening award. Details of recipients of awards from smaller schemes run by other Government Departments and funding bodies are not collected centrally. It is not possible to provide details of individual projects.

Further Education and Training Bill

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will meet with the Leader of the House to discuss the pre-legislative scrutiny of the provisions of the Further Education and Training Bill (Lords) as they relate to Wales;
	(2)  if he will meet the Chairman of the Welsh Affairs Committee, the hon. Member for Aberavon, to discuss the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Welsh aspects of the Further Education and Training Bill (Lords).

Bill Rammell: The Bill has already received its Second Reading in the House of Lords on 13 December 2006. Members of both Houses will be able to scrutinise and suggest amendments to the Bill during its remaining parliamentary passage, including in relation to the provisions for Wales.

Higher Education: Sunderland

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students participated in higher education in each year since 1997 in the Sunderland City Council area.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures are shown in the table. The figures for 2005/06 will be available in January 2007.
	
		
			  Total number of enrolments on Higher Education courses at the University of Sunderland and the City of Sunderland College, 1997/98 to 2004/05 
			  Academic year  Total enrolments 
			 1997/98 14,750 
			 1998/99 14,045 
			 1999/2000 12,990 
			 2000/01 12,510 
			 2001/02 12,505 
			 2002/03 14,370 
			 2003/04 16,165 
			 2004/05 16,320 
			  Notes:  The figures for total enrolments are derived by summation of figures derived from data collected by HESA and LSC. They have been rounded to the nearest 5 enrolments. The figures for the years up to 2000/01 are not directly comparable with the figures for the years from 2001/02. The figures derived from data from HESA are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December each year and exclude writing up, sabbatical and dormant modes of study. The figures derived from data from LSC are on a snapshot basis as at 1 November each year up to 2000/01. They are on a whole year count basis from 2001/02. The figures do not include enrolments on higher education courses at the Open University of people in the Sunderland City Council area.  Source:  The figures for the University of Sunderland were derived from data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The figures for the City of Sunderland College were derived from data collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

Inter-country Adoptions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average time taken to process inter-country adoptions was in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: There is no centrally held information on the average length of time it takes to complete an inter-country adoption, which covers the time of the initial approach of the prospective adopters to an adoption agency until the point of legal recognition of the adoption in the UK.
	The length of time taken to effect an inter-country adoption is dependent on the complexity of the individual case. A range of bodies is involved in the process, including foreign authorities, adoption agencies, and embassies. The process of identifying a prospective 'match', between would-be adopters and a foreign child, is usually the lengthiest element of the process, which takes a period of several months but can take more than a year.

Learning and Skills Council

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely numbers of redundancies at the Learning and Skills Council in Coventry; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 8 January 2007
	The Learning and Skills Council has carried out a radical restructuring exercise which will ensure that it becomes even more effective at identifying and responding to learning and skill needs. The new structure will include around 150 new local partnership teams, which will work with key local stakeholders to secure a wide choice of high quality provision which reflects what individuals, employers and wider communities want and help to deliver our long term economic success. They will work alongside a number of specialist Economic Development teams, and will be supported by nine new regional centres that will provide core operational services and co-ordinate the LSC's work with regional partners.
	The new structure is expected to require 1,100 fewer posts across the whole organisation. The LSC continues to do all it can to avoid making compulsory redundancies, and estimates that nationally these changes will save up to £40 million per year, which can be directed to front line services.

Nurseries and Child Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the maximum time is that may elapse before  (a) nurseries and  (b) other childcare settings must be inspected by OFSTED following the registration of those settings; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Currently Ofsted visits child care providers before registration and inspects them within seven months of joining the register, and then at least once within the next three years. Through the Childcare Act 2006 we are reforming the inspection and regulation of child care and from September 2008 Ofsted will operate two registers: The Early Years Register (EYR), for children up to five; and the Ofsted Childcare Register (OCR), for school aged children and for child care for younger children not required to be registered. The OCR will be compulsory for providers of child care to children aged five to seven and voluntary for other child care. Regular inspections will continue after 2008 for providers, including nurseries, registered on the EYR. Inspection of child care registered on the OCR will be carried out proportionately on the basis of risks to children. Ofsted will at any time be able to request evidence that registered providers are meeting the OCR requirements, and will carry out the majority of inspections on a random basis.

Nursery Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on free at-the-point-of-delivery nursery provision in England;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the effect of the implementation of the 2006 DFES Code of Practice for Nursery Education Provision.

Beverley Hughes: Child care provision, free at the point of delivery has been a universal entitlement for all four-year-olds since 1998 and for all three-year-olds since 2004. It is widely supported by parents, providers, local authorities and other stakeholders.
	My colleagues and I regularly meet representatives of a range of stakeholders with an interest in the free entitlement and other child care issues. These meetings have been opportunities to celebrate the progress that we are making together towards the delivery of our Ten Year Childcare Strategy commitments and to discuss issues of implementation including those relating to the 2006 code of practice.
	Since the code of practice came into force in April 2006, Ministers and officials have received a range of correspondence from a variety of stakeholders. Correspondents routinely acknowledge the benefits of the free entitlement for children, and demonstrate commitment to its delivery. A number of correspondents have raised issues relating to the arrangements for increasing the free entitlement from 33 to 38 weeks and to 15 hours per week by 2010, and a number have expressed views about the Government's position on providers charging parents for elements of their free provision.
	In responding, I have been clear that the Government provide sufficient funding to local authorities for the delivery of a universal free early learning entitlement that benefits all children regardless of their parents' income or ability to pay. Local authorities have discretion over the use they make of funding from the Dedicated Schools Grant including the rates at which they fund early education in all types of setting. They are encouraged to fund early years provision equitably across settings in accordance with local circumstances. It has always been unacceptable for providers to charge so called "top up fees" for the free entitlement, in addition to the money they receive from local authorities for delivering the free entitlement.
	We conducted a full public consultation on the 2006 code of practice, to which 585 responses were received, the majority from private providers. Most respondents were content with the extension of the free entitlement to 38 weeks in all sectors. None of those who responded questioned the requirement to ensure that the entitlement is entirely free at the point of delivery.

Office for Disability Issues

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families has attended meetings of the Office for Disability Issues since its establishment.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 13 December 2006
	I am responding on behalf of Lord Adonis, who leads on this area. There have been no meetings at ministerial level. However, officials within my Department have actively engaged with the ODI in a number of areas relating to furthering equality for disabled people including preparation of the Department's recently published Disability Equality Scheme and on the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (PMSU) programme 'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People'. In addition, the head of the ODI has addressed a meeting of the DfES board and directors, chaired by the permanent secretary. Furthermore, two of my senior officials are members of the ODI board of management which is jointly responsible for co-ordinating the strategy and steering the work of the ODI, in line with the 20-year vision for disabled people.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many written Parliamentary Questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before Prorogation, or similar wording;
	(2)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were not answered wholly or in part on grounds of disproportionate cost;
	(3)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session did not receive an answer.

Parmjit Dhanda: This Department issued 23 Prorogation replies before the House prorogued on 8 November. Eleven of these parliamentary questions were tabled on the 6 November and it was not possible to respond within the timescale. Six have since been re-tabled and all have had a substantive reply.
	The Department's PQ Tracking System is however unable to break down the other data requested and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. This Department aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day, and endeavours to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has no maximum retirement age for staff below the Senior Civil Service, so members of staff do not have to retire when they reach the national default retirement age of 65 or any prescribed time thereafter.

Student Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many UK domiciled initial participants in higher education have not applied to the Student Loans Company for any financial support in the academic year 2006-07 to date.

Bill Rammell: Data are not available on the number of initial participants in higher education in academic year 2006/07 who have not applied to the Student Loans Company for any financial support.
	Figures for English domiciled students for 2005/06, which have been derived from the latest available data, show that 898,000 higher education students were eligible for a maintenance loan from the Student Loans Company. 801,000 of these students applied for a maintenance loan. By subtraction, 97,000 students did not apply for a maintenance loan.
	Figures for initial participants and those eligible for financial support other than maintenance loans cannot be derived from the available data.

UK Youth Parliament

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Government Ministers have attended meetings of the UK Youth Parliament since January 2005.

Parmjit Dhanda: The following Ministers have attended meetings of the UK Youth Parliament since January 2005;
	
		
			  Minister  Date 
			 Margaret Hodge 17 March 2005 
			 Alan Johnson 24 July 2006 
			 Parmjit Dhanda 13 December 2006

University Drop-out Rates

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the official drop-out rate is for  (a) the University of East Anglia and  (b) Cambridge University in the last five years, broken down by department or faculty.

Bill Rammell: The latest available non-completion rates for the Universities of Cambridge and East Anglia are shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of entrants to full-time first degree courses who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer 
			  Percentage 
			   1999/2000  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04 
			 University of Cambridge 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.8 
			  Against benchmark( 1) : 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.5 
			 University of East Anglia 9.6 11.5 7.3 12.7 5.3 
			  Against benchmark( 1) : 13.8 13.0 12.0 11.7 11.2 
			 (1) The benchmark is a sector average which is adjusted for each institution to take into account the following factors: subject of study, qualifications on entry and age on entry. The benchmarks can be used to show how a university is performing compared to the sector as a whole, and also helps to determine whether a meaningful comparison can be drawn between two or more universities.  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The non-completion rates tabled are not broken down by department or faculty. However a sector-wide non-continuation rate is provided for each year, which is broken down by subject of study. The non-continuation rate is the proportion of entrants to full-time first degree courses who are no longer in higher education after one year of study. The rates for young entrants are shown in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of young entrants to full-time first degree courses who are no longer in higher education after one year of study 
			  Percentage 
			   1999/2000  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04 
			 Medicine, dentistry and veterinary science 2.0 2 2.4 1.8 2.0 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 6.3 6 5.9 6.4 7.7 
			 Biological sciences(1) (8)6.9 (8)6 (8)6.1 (8)7.1 7.3 
			 Physical sciences(1) (8)— (8)— (8)— (8)— 6.1 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 6.8 7 11.4 7.5 8.3 
			 Mathematical sciences(2) (9)9.8 (9)8 (9)8.4 (9)9.4 5.5 
			 Computer sciences(2) (9)— (9)— (9)— (9)— 10.3 
			 Engineering and technology 10.1 9 8.9 10.0 10.1 
			 Architecture, building, planning 9.6 8 10.2 11.1 10.0 
			 Social studies(3) (10)6.9 (10)6 (10)6.4 (10)7.0 7.2 
			 Law(3) (10)— (10)— (10)— (10)— 6.2 
			 Librarianship, information sciences(4) (11)6.9 (11)8 (11)8.2 n/a n/a 
			 Business and administrative studies(4, 5) (11)— (11)— (11)— (12)8.8 8.8 
			 Mass communications and documentation(5) n/a n/a n/a (12)— 8.5 
			 Humanities(6) (13)5.9 (13)5 (13)5.7 n/a n/a 
			 Languages(6, 7) (13)— (13)— (13)— (14)6.3 6.3 
			 Historical and philosophical studies(7) n/a n/a n/a (14)— 5.9 
			 Creative arts and design 8.7 8 8.3 8.2 8.4 
			 Education 8.6 8 8.1 8.0 7.5 
			 Combined subjects 8.8 8 8.2 14.3 13.5 
			 All subjects 7.8 7 7.3 7.8 7.7 
			 n/a = not applicable. (1) One figure was provided for Biological and Physical Sciences until 2003/04. (2) One figure was provided for Mathematical and Computer Sciences until 2003/04. (3) One figure was provided for Social Studies and Law until 2003/04. (4) One figure was provided for Librarianship, information Sciences and Business and administrative studies until 2002/03. (5) One figure was provided for Business and administrative studies and Mass communications and documentation in 2002/03. (6) One figure was provided for Languages and Humanities until 2002/03. (7) One figure was provided for Languages and Historical and Philosophical Studies in 2002/03.  Notes: 1. Figures for 2000/01 are available only to the nearest integer. 2. There is a break in the time series between academic years 2001/02 and 2002/03 because the subjects' JACS codings were changed in 2002/03.  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Child Maintenance Enforcement

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the administrative costs of establishing the system for confiscating passports as a means of enforcing child maintenance, proposed in Sir David Henshaw's report, Recovering Child Support: routes to responsibilities;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with other government departments and agencies on the establishment of the system for confiscating passports as a means of enforcing child maintenance, proposed in Sir David Henshaw's report, Recovering Child Support: Routes to Responsibility;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of non-resident parents whose passports might be confiscated as a means of enforcing child maintenance should the proposal in Sir David Henshaw's report be implemented.

James Plaskitt: Officials have been involved in extensive discussion with the Home Office, Department of Constitutional Affairs and the Identity and Passport Service concerning this proposal. Officials are continuing to work with other departments to assess the costs of various options associated with this proposal.
	It is intended that the surrender of passports will be applicable only in cases where the non-resident has parent has wilfully failed to pay child maintenance, and where most other methods of enforcement have proven to be ineffective. Work is ongoing to estimate the number of cases where this may impact.

Child Support Agency

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the September and October child support payments due to the parent with care Child Support Agency reference 324807264125 will be paid; what the reasons are for the length of time which has been taken to pass this money to the parent with care; and what steps the Agency is taking to ensure that such delays do not occur in the future.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.

Consultants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total value has been of the contracts that his Department has held with  (a) ER consultants and  (b) Praesta in each of the last three years; and which Ministers have made use of their services.

Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member, to the reply given on 8 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 1624-25W.

Deduction of Earnings

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is on deduction of earnings orders when the parents concerned subsequently make voluntary child support arrangements.

James Plaskitt: If the parent with the care of the children subsequently decides to make private child support arrangements with the non-resident parent the Child Support Agency will cease acting on her behalf. In these circumstances the Agency will no longer attempt to collect ongoing maintenance but if arrears are outstanding it may decide to continue to collect them through a deduction from earnings order. However, the Agency will continue to act on behalf of a parent with care who is receiving income support or income- based Jobseeker's allowance.
	If any parent with care indicates that she wants to make her own payment arrangements with the non-resident parent, known as 'maintenance direct', the Agency will consider whether the proposed arrangement is more appropriate or more likely to ensure a positive maintenance outcome than a deduction from earnings order. It will also take account of any outstanding maintenance arrears.
	In making a decision on whether to continue to collect ongoing maintenance or arrears through a deduction from earnings order, the Agency will take account of the welfare of any children involved, the circumstances of the non-resident parent concerned and the reason why the deduction from earnings order was initially imposed.

Jobcentre Plus

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many personal advisers are employed by Jobcentre Plus; and at what total cost;
	(2)  how many Jobcentre Plus staff work in  (a) benefit claims and processing,  (b) provision of welfare to work advice to claimants and  (c) regulation of external providers of welfare to work services; and at what total cost in each case.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking; how many personal advisors are employed by Jobcentre Plus; and at what total cost, and how many Jobcentre Plus staff work in  (a) benefit claims and processing,  (b) provision of welfare to work advice to claimants and  (c) regulation of external providers of welfare to work services; and at what total cost in each case. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The latest month for which actual information relating to these questions is available is September 2006. The relevant figures are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Category  Staffing levels (Full Time Equivalents) (September 2006)  Total Cost (September 2006) (£ million) 
			 Personal Adviser Service(1) 9,064 20.896 
			 Benefit Claims and Processing(2) 29,629 51.974 
			 Welfare to Work advice(3) 919 2.465 
			 Regulation of external providers(4) 471 1.349 
			 1. The personal adviser service includes disability employment support; new client advice; restart/ fresh start advice; new deal lone parents/ partners; new deal for young people/25+/50+; work focussed interviews lone parents and incapacity benefit; and incapacity benefit caseload activity. 2. Benefit claims and processing includes staff in both processing sites and contact centres involved in processing all Jobcentre Plus benefits; staff in customer service outlets offering benefit advice including financial assessors; and income support, jobseeker's allowance, incapacity benefit and social fund management. 3. Welfare to work advice includes services provided by staff in disability services; action team initiatives; employment zones; and new deal for disabled people. It does not include staff involved in Jobsearch review or Jobseeker Direct. 4. External providers include third party provision management of both ESF and non ESF.

Mesothelioma

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether relatives of an employee who has developed mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos on the employee's work overalls are treated by his Department as eligible for  (a) industrial injuries disablement benefit,  (b) compensation under the Pneumoconiosis Etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 and  (c) and other compensation.

Jim Murphy: It has been an underlying principle of the Industrial Injuries Scheme since its introduction in 1948 that benefit under the scheme should be payable only to people injured or disabled as a result of their work and not the population at large. The purpose of Pneumoconiosis Etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 is to provide compensation for sufferers of certain dust related diseases (or their dependants on their behalf) who are unable to claim damages from employers. No payments have been made to the relatives under either scheme where they have exposure to asbestos from washing overalls and the Department operates no other schemes under which compensation would be payable.
	We have asked officials to carry out a review of the current Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Scheme. The present scheme may no longer meet the needs of our modern society. We will look at all aspects of the scheme, but have not yet looked in any detail at any particular component of the scheme. We will however be looking at all options for the future and we intend publishing a consultation document in early 2007. The Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform has met the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (MAC) and discussed the issue of the review of the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme. MAC has also recently met with the miners group of MPs where issues around asbestos related diseases were discussed.
	On 20 July 2006, the Secretary of State announced measures to speed up the handling of claims for people suffering from mesothelioma and committed to having a full dialogue with interested parties. As part of that dialogue, we recently undertook a consultation exercise that ended on 23 November. The Department is now looking carefully at all suggestions in developing options for action.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 January 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the September and October child support payments due to the parent with care Child Support Agency reference 324807264125 will be paid; what the reasons are for the length of time which has been taken to pass this money to the parent with care; and what steps the Agency is taking to ensure that such delays do not occur in the future.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Mesothelioma

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in benefits specifically related to mesothelioma claims has been clawed back through the Compensation Recovery Unit in the last 12 months  (a) in the UK,  (b) in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham and  (c) in Dagenham constituency.

Jim Murphy: In the 12 months up to November 2006 a total of £4,743,502.99 has been recovered in respect of benefits paid in mesothelioma cases in Great Britain and £18,756.46 in Northern Ireland. Information is not available at local authority or constituency level.
	The rationale behind compensation recovery is twofold. Firstly it ensures that the taxpayer (via the benefit system) does not subsidise the costs arising from a compensator's actions. Secondly it ensures that an injured person is not compensated twice for the same need, once via the benefit system and again via the compensation payment. This is achieved by an offset mechanism within the scheme, which allows the compensator to reduce the compensation by some or all of the benefit repaid.
	Legislation to exempt payments made to former employees of Turner and Newall (and associated companies) suffering from asbestos related diseases from the scheme is currently being brought forward. The exemption is being made due to the unique nature of these cases. Payments are being made from two Trust Funds set up for the sole purpose of meeting asbestos liabilities. Due to the insolvent position of the parent American company however the Trust will not meet the claims in full.
	Operating the compensation recovery scheme in these cases would further reduce payments to those suffering from asbestos related diseases. The exemption does not breach either of the fundamental principles of the scheme as the finite amount to be paid out has already been established and the sufferers will only receive a small portion of their gross compensation awards.

Personal Capability Assessments

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of personal capability assessments have been overturned on appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: In 2005-06, there were around one million personal capability assessments and around 23,000, or two per cent. were overturned on appeal.

Personal Capability Assessments

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what monitoring there has been of the LiMA system's efficiency; and what proposals there are for audits of the LiMA system.

Anne McGuire: Since its inception, LiMA has, and continues to be, under constant review and improvement.
	A steering group considers feedback from a number of sources, including users, medical quality auditors and the Department for Work and Pensions. All system changes and improvements are made in consultation with the Department and thoroughly tested through a documented process before being released. There have been six system updates during 2006 and the process of system development will continue throughout 2007.
	Medical Services has a robust externally validated audit system. The work of every doctor is regularly audited to ensure that medical reports produced using LiMA meet defined quality and professional standards.

Personal Capability Assessments

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect the LiMA system has had on the revised personal capability assessment in relation to the  (a) suggested changes to the increase in mental health descriptors and activities and  (b) suggested changes to the physical health descriptors and activities.

Anne McGuire: LiMA is programmed on the basis of the current personal capability assessment (PCA) and descriptors. Before the revised PCA is implemented, the LiMA system will be completely reprogrammed to take into account the changes to both the physical and mental function assessments. This reprogramming cannot start until the regulations governing the revised PCA have been laid.
	Reports based on the revised PCA, which are being used for evaluation purposes, are completed manually by Atos Origin healthcare professionals. But in justifying their choice of revised descriptors, the healthcare professionals are drawing on their expertise as disability analysts and on their familiarity with the up to date consensus of medical opinion that underpins the LiMA system.

Redundancy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he has introduced to assist people over 55 years who have been  (a) made redundant and  (b) made redundant for more than one year to find alternative employment.

Jim Murphy: We work with employer and partner organisations to help people who have been made redundant access a range of services aimed at helping them find alternative employment. The help provided will vary depending upon particular needs, not the age group of individuals, or the period of unemployment following redundancy. Typically, this involves the provision of information, advice and guidance about jobs and how best to secure alternative employment. In the case of large-scale redundancies that have a significant impact on the local labour market, additional help, for example, skills transfer analysis and job focussed training may be provided through the Rapid Response Service. This help is not age related but it is time bound to 12 weeks before and 12 weeks following someone being made redundant.

Winter Fuel Payment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many qualifying former UK residents living in  (a) Greece,  (b) Spain,  (c) Italy,  (d) Malta,  (e) Cyprus and  (f) Portugal have been in receipt of the winter fuel payments allowance in each year since 1997; and at what cost to public funds.

James Purnell: Since 2002, following discussions with the European Commission about the effect of Community law, winter fuel payments are made to eligible former UK residents living elsewhere in the European Economic Area or Switzerland provided they qualified for a winter fuel payment before leaving the UK. Although in some cases payments may be made for years before 2002, a separate breakdown of payments for the earlier years is not available Information from 2002-03 is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Greece 
			  £000 
			   Payments made  Cost 
			 2002-03 65 11 
			 2003-04 150 26 
			 2004-05 295 51 
			 2005-06 480 85 
		
	
	
		
			  Spain 
			  £000 
			   Payments made  Cost 
			 2002-03 5,165 808 
			 2003-04 10,390 1,625 
			 2004-05 17,010 2,754 
			 2005-06 21,355 3,486 
		
	
	
		
			  Italy 
			  £000 
			   Payments made  Cost 
			 2002-03 95 16 
			 2003-04 200 33 
			 2004-05 415 75 
			 2005-06 590 106 
		
	
	
		
			  Malta 
			  £000 
			   Payments made  Cost 
			 2004-05 265 38 
			 2005-06 415 69 
		
	
	
		
			  Cyprus 
			  £000 
			   Payments made  Cost 
			 2004-05 1,395 188 
			 2005-06 2,180 349 
		
	
	
		
			  Portugal 
			  £000 
			   Payments made  Cost 
			 2002-03 105 17 
			 2003-04 255 43 
			 2004-05 475 80 
			 2005-06 720 120 
			  Notes: 1. The figures for the years 2002-03 and 2003-04 include only automated payments. These account for the great majority of payments made. Figures for clerical payments made in these years are not available broken down by country. However clerical payments are included in the figures from 2004-05. 2. Malta and Cyprus joined the European Union and therefore became part of the European Economic Area in May 2004. Winter fuel payments could be paid to eligible former UK residents living in these countries from winter 2004-05. The figures for winter 2004-05 include some payments made for earlier years where entitlement had been established but not paid prior to leaving the UK. 3. Figures for payments made are rounded to the nearest five and figures for costs are rounded to the nearest 1,000.